Green Process for Impregnation of Silver Nanoparticles into Microcrystalline Cellulose and Their Antimicrobial Bionanocomposite Films

A novel greener method to impregnate silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) into microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) by curry leaf (Murraya koenigii) extract is presented. The active reduction of silver ions by curry leaf extract was explored for the in situ impregnation AgNPs into MCC. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis of MCC coated with AgNPs showed the formation of silver particle sizes in the range of 10- 25 nm and have a spherical shape. Further the, EDS analysis of MCC/Ag nanocomposite confirms the formation of Ag structure on microcrystalline cellulose. Solvent cast-ing of poly(lactic-acid) was used to produce composite films containing silver impregnated MCC aiming for antimicro-bial applications