Synthesis and characterization of silver/zein nanocomposites and their application

Zein nanoparticles were prepared by the liquid‐liquid dispersion method. The particles were used as templates for growing silver nanoparticles by reduction of silver ions using gamma radiation. The dynamic light scattering and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) results indicated that the obtained zein nanoparticles have spherical shape with a homogeneous particle size distribution and an average particle size of 60 nm. The factors affecting the silver nanoparticle deposition on zein nanoparticles were studied. Among these factors, irradiation dose, silver ion concentration, and zein polymer content were evaluated. The formation of the nanocomposite was detected using UV–vis spectroscopy and TEM. The surface plasmon resonance peak was found to be sensitive to the concentration of the zein and AgNO₃ solutions. A blue shift was observed as the zein content was increased, while a red shift took place upon increasing the AgNO₃ concentration. The TEM imaging indicated that the silver particles are nanosized, spherical in shape and adsorbed on the surface of zein particles. The Zein/silver nancomposites were applied for the antimicrobial test against E. coli and found to have high antibacterial activity. POLYM. COMPOS., 38:E9–E15, 2017. © 2015 Society of Plastics Engineers