Preparation and characterization of Ag-montmorillonite/chitosan

To obtain antibacterial chitosan with improved dynamic mechanic properties, the Ag-MMT was dispersed in chitosan solution dissolving in acetic acid to obtain nano Ag-MMT/CS composite via solution intercalation. The Ag⁺ ion can be released steady and slowly from Ag-MMT/CS in vitro release test in simulated fluid. The bacterial inhibition zone diameter of Ag-MMT/CS is 9.2 mm, which is 50.6% larger than that of CS, the result shows Ag-MMT/CS's good antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus. And the inhibition ratio test result suggests the significant surface area and adsorption capacities of MMT help a lot to immobilize more bacteria on the surface and improve the antibacterial activity of Ag-MMT/CS. In the dynamic thermomechanical analysis (DMA) test, the storage modulus of Ag-MMT/CS is 3261 MPa, which exhibits remarkable increase (195% larger than CS) in mechanic property.