Thanchanok Ratvjitvecha, Sarisa Na Pombejrab*

^aDepartment of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University
^bDepartment of Microbiology, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are notable antimicrobial agents. However, their productions via physical
procedures generally consume high energy leading to elevation of manufacturing cost, while chemical
approaches, which are more popular processes, usually generate toxic wastes. Thus, we here
introduced a cost-effective and eco-friendly biosynthetic method for AgNP production by employing
fungal filtrate of Aspergillus niger as a bio-reducing agent. By using UV-vis spectrophotometry, XRD,
TEM, FESEM, and DLS analysis, the formation of spherical-shaped AgNPs with 1-50 nm metal core size
and 20–150 nm hydrodynamic diameter was verified. Additionally, these biosynthesized AgNPs
showed a promising antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. To
further develop the AgNP usage, the catechol-based hypercrosslinked polymer (HCP) was used as a
protective support to preserve the AgNPs. The encapsulation of AgNPs into the HCP was confirmed by
EDX, FESEM, and TEM. The antibacterial evaluation of AgNP-encapsulated HCP (AgNP-HCP) indicated
a great bactericidal activity of this material suggesting a potential use in disinfection treatments.

Reference:
“Antibacterial efficiency of microporous hypercrosslinked polymer conjugated with biosynthesized
silver nanoparticles from Aspergillus niger” Ratvijitvech, T.; Na Pombejra, S. Mater. Today Commun.
2021, 28, 102617. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mtcomm.2021.102617