Polymer/inorganic hybrids containing silver nanoparticles and their activity in the disinfection of fish aquariums/ponds
Tatyana Zheltonozhskaya, N. М. Permyakova, Olha Kravchenko, В. І. Максін, Stanislav Nessin, В.В. Клепко, Dmytro Klymchuk
Abstract
A grafted polymer/inorganic hybrid combining the properties of silica nanoparticles (Rav = 7.7 nm) and polyacrylamide (SiO2-g-PAAm) was synthesized, characterized and used as a matrix for in situ synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). In the “core”-“corona” hybrid nanostructures, PAAm grafts were additionally bonded to the silica surface by H-bonds. The reduction of Ag+-ions in SiO2-g-PAAm solutions occurred in PAAm “coronas” with a high rate and yield. This led to the formation of spherical AgNPs of 3–9 nm in size in swollen hybrid nanostructures. Various aspects of the possible use of the AgNPs/SiO2-g-PAAm composition for disinfecting fish aquariums/ponds, including biological risks, were studied.