SYNTHESIS OF HYDROXYPROPYLMETHYL CELLULOSE SOLUTIONS CONTAINING SILVER NANOPARTICLES AND THEIR PROPERTIES
Creators: name: Yunusov Kh.E
name: Sarimsakov A.A
name: Mirkholisov M.M
name: Gulomjonov H
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2025

description: Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are an intensively studied material due to their unique antibacterial properties combined with relatively low production costs. These particular properties predetermine the AgNPs for applications in areas such as functional textiles, active food packaging, medicine, cosmetics, ecology [1]. In cosmetics, AgNPs have recently been used as additives for their antiseptic [2]. Active food packaging is an innovative concept where the container interacts with the enclosed product and the surrounding environment to preserve the quality of the product during prolonged storage [3]. In medicine, AgNPs can be used in diagnosis or directly for treatment as topical antimicrobial agents, wound dressing, implants or for cancer treatment. On the other hand, high concentrations of silver induce cytotoxicity and lead to argyria due to inappropriate silver accumulation in blood, lungs, liver and kidneys.


Cellulose by itself is insoluble and therefore cannot be easily used for nanoparticle production, but there are many soluble cellulose derivatives that are available for this purpose. Hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) is a soluble cellulose derivative widely used in medicine for dosage forms, especially for controlled drug release tablets. The preparation of AgNPs directly in HPMC solution without additional reactants would represent an environmentally friendly and simple method to produce solid state composites of AgNPs for their controlled release which could be easily formed in desired shape. In this work, the possibility to prepare AgNPs in HPMC solutions without additional chemicals was studied.


Silver colloids were prepared by photochemical method with hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) serving as a capping agent. First, solutions of HPMC were prepared by the mixing of 12.5, 25 or 50 mg of HPMC powder, viscosity 0.8–0.12 Pa·s in 2% water at 20 °C and 45 mL of distilled water and the mixture was stirred in refrigerator overnight. Then, 5 mL of 35 mM solution of AgNO3 was added dropwise to the HPMC solution at constant stirring in a shaded Erlenmeyer flask. The resulting mixture was therefore 3.5 mmol·L−1 AgNO3 in 0.25%, 0.5% or 1% HPMC solution. Temperature was brought up to 25 °C and the solution was stirred further for 30 min. During this process, Ag seeds were created that catalyzed the photochemical reduction of the AgNO3 in the next preparation step. Photochemical reduction of Ag+ in HPMC to generate NP was performed at 25°C by irradiation with a DRSh-250 high-pressure mercury vapour lamp (wattage = 35 watts and wavelength λ = 365 nm). To obtain dispersions of HPMC/AgNPs, a UZDN-1 ultrasonic disperser (Y-4.2, Russia), was used.


The solution was irradiated for 30 minutes while its appearance changed from transparent colorless to dark yellow to reddish brown with apparent turbidity. 


 





	
		
			
			

			
		
		
			
			

			
		
		
			
			
Figure 1. Formation mechanism of Ag NPs in HPMC by photochemical reduction.
			
		
	







	
		
			
			
 
			
		
	




The functional groups of HPMC polymer-metal complexes were investigated using an FT-IR spectrometer (Bruker, Germany) in the wavelength range of 4000-500 cm–1. The FT-IR spectra of the pure HPMC powder, AgNO3 powder, glucose powder, HPMC/Ag+ film and HPMC/Ag NPs film are compared by the identification of absorption bands associated with the vibration of functional groups in the range of 4000–500 cm‒1. In order to study the amorphous-crystalline structure of AgNPs, X-ray studies were carried out. The results of X-ray research showed that in the considered angle interval 2θ=5-70o, along with the amorphous area, all the crystalline reflexes characteristic of the silver atom were found. The possibilities of synthesizing silver nanoparticles of different sizes and shapes in the purified HPMC solutions by photochemical reduction method were determined. It was experimentally shown that the formation of silver nanoparticles of different sizes and shapes depends on the reaction conditions through FT-IR and X-ray structural research methods.


Acknowledgment. This work was supported by the international fundamental project Uzbekistan - Belarus on the topic FL-7923051761 “Development of fundamental principles for the creation of modified carbon tissue and cellulose derivatives in order to obtain medical biomaterials with complex properties” for the years 2024-2025 years by the Innovative Development Agency under the Ministry of High Education, Science and Innovation of the Republic of Uzbekistan.


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