SYNTHESIS, CHARACTERIZATION AND BIOMEDICAL APPLICATIONS OF SILICA BASED METAL NANOCOMPOSITES

Abstract

The work embodied in this thesis entitled "Synthesis, Characterization. and Biomedical Applications of Silica based Metal Nanocomposites" consists of two chapters. The synthesis of Au poly (dimethylsiloxane) nanocomposites by in situ synthesis and galvanic replacement approach, characterization and functionalization for biosensing application using human serum albumin as a model system are described in Chapter I. In Chapter II, the synthesis, characterization and antimicrobial activity of silica-silver nanocomposites are reported. Each chapter includes sections on literature survey, experimental details followed by results and discussion. The nanocomposites were characterized by UV-Visible spectroscopy, Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FE-SEM), X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), Energy Dispersive X-Ray Analysis (EDXA) and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR). The Au-PDMS nanocomposite films were functionalized by dextran hydrogel matrix and used for the detection of human serum albumin (HSA) by monitoring the shift in position of localized surface Plasmon resonance (LSPR) band as a function of change in refractive index during the binding events. The silica-silver nanocomposites were explored for their antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis using double dilution method to determine the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC)• vii