In this present study, composites of chitosan-graft-poly(N-tertiary butylacrylamide) (CH-graft-poly(N-tert-BAAm)) copolymer, with Neodymium (Nd), an important rare earth element, were prepared by precipitation technique. Nd was successfully incorporated into the polymer of different weight percentages (0.5%, 1%, and 2%) without any degradation. The effect of neodymium additives on the structural, morphological, and antibacterial activities against gram-positive bacteria and gram-negative bacteria of the polymer was analyzed using various instrument techniques. X-ray diffraction (XRD) results together with Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) studies confirmed the morphology of Nd-doped CH-graft-poly(N-tert-BAAm) composites without any other impurities. The antibacterial effect of Nd was studied by adding it to the copolymer in a weight ratio of 0.5%-2%. The antibacterial effect of neodymium concentration on four different strains of bacteria was investigated: Escherichia coli (ATCC 25922) (E. coli), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (DSM 50071) (P. aeruginosa), Bacillus subtilis (DSM 1971) (B. subtilis), and Staphylococcus aureus subsp. aureus (ATCC 25923) (S. aureus). The antibacterial activities of the obtained composites were determined using the Agar Well Diffusion Assay Method. Experimental results show that Nd binds well to CH-graft-poly(N-tert-BAAm). Activity against E. coli, P. aeruginosa, B. subtilis, and S. aureus subsp. aureus creates a potential for pharmaceutical and biomedical applications.
Keywords: antibacterial activity; biopolymer; composite; neodymium; rare earth element.
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