Preparation of Silver Nanoparticles/Polyvinyl alcohol Nanocom-posite Films with Enhanced Electrical, Thermal, and Antimicro-bial Properties

Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)/Silver (Ag) nanocomposites exhibit remarkable properties, including enhanced thermal, optical, electrical, and antibacterial characteristics. These properties are modulated by the preparation and addition of silver nanoparticles into polyvinyl alcohol films. The Ag-NPs were synthesized by a microwave-assisted method and, showed size-dependent properties, where the increase in microwave power resulted in increased nanoparticle sizes, reducing the energy bandgap from 2.93 eV to 2.55 eV. The electrical conductivity of the PVA film improved significantly from 0.065 S/m to 0.57 S/m, while its crystallinity increased from 14.047% to 18.331% with higher Ag-NP content. Additionally, UV-Vis absorption of the nanocomposite film increased with Ag-NP incorporation, reflect-ing uniform particle distribution. The antibacterial efficacy of these nanocomposites is particularly noteworthy. Smaller Ag-NPs, produced under lower microwave power, exhibited enhanced penetration through bacterial mem-branes, leading to improved antibacterial activity. This was evident in an 84% reduction of E. coli colony-forming units, from 36 to 6. The antibacterial activity against E. Coli bacteria makes the film highly suitable for various in-dustrial applications. With their unique combination of electrical, thermal, and antibacterial properties, Ag/PVA nanocomposites hold significant promise for use in healthcare, packaging, and electronics