Green in situ synthesis of Ag nanoparticles-peptide hydrogel composites: investigation of their antibacterial activities

Among biomaterials, peptide hydrogels attract many attentions. They are biocompatible, biodegradable, and due to the liquid form of their precursors at room temperature, they are injectable. These features make them good candidates for developing biomedical applications [1]. The aim of this research is to synthesize peptide-based hydrogels and impregnate them with silver nanoparticles to have the resultant hydrogel/nanoparticles hybrid. The amino acid, fluorenylmethyloxycarbonyl phenyl alanine (Fmoc-Phe) and diphenylalanine (Phe2) are used for the hydrogel synthesis [2]. Green chemical methods have been applied for the synthesis of hydrogel and nanoparticles. Regarding the biological applications, the hydrogel/nanoparticles hybrid can be used in the field of antibacterial materials. Structure, mechanical stability and morphology of this nanohybrid were characterized with different techniques such as FESEM, FTIR, UV-Vis, SAXS, ICP, Rheology measurement, and XPS [3].