title: Polyhexamethylene biguanide functionalized cationic silver nanoparticles for enhanced antimicrobial activity.
abstract: Polyhexamethylene biguanide (PHMB), a broad spectrum disinfectant against many pathogens, was used as a stabilizing ligand for the synthesis of fairly uniform silver nanoparticles. The particles formed were characterized using UV-visible spectroscopy, FTIR, dynamic light scattering, electrophoretic mobility, and TEM to measure their morphology and surface chemistry. PHMB-functionalized silver nanoparticles were then evaluated for their antimicrobial activity against a gram-negative bacterial strain, Escherichia coli. These silver nanoparticles were found to have about 100 times higher bacteriostatic and bactericidal activities, compared to the previous reports, due to the combined antibacterial effect of silver nanoparticles and PHMB. In addition to other applications, PHMB-functionalized silver nanoparticles would be extremely useful in textile industry due to the strong interaction of PHMB with cellulose fabrics.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, School of Science & Engineering (SSE), Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS), DHA, Lahore Cantt, 54792, Pakistan. ihussain@lums.edu.pk.
authors.forename: Sumaira
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ashraf
authors.forename: Nasrin
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Akhtar
authors.forename: Muhammad Afzal
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Ghauri
authors.forename: Muhammad Ibrahim
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Rajoka
authors.forename: Zafar M
authors.initials: ZM
authors.lastname: Khalid
authors.forename: Irshad
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Hussain