Surface Modification of nTiO2/Ag Hybrid Nanoparticles Using Microwave-Assisted Polymerization in the Presence of Bis(2-hydroxyethyl) Terephthalate

Titanium dioxide doped silver (nTiO2/Ag) nanoparticles were surface-modified by microwave-assisted polymerization of 2-bis-(hydroxyethyl) terephthalate (BHET). The modified and unmodified nanoparticles were analyzed by FTIR, XRD, TGA, and TEM. A thin layer of grafted PET on the surface of the nanoparticles was observed and quantified by TGA giving a value of 40 wt-%. XRD and electron diffraction analyses showed traces of AgO2 after the modification. The bactericide activity of modified and unmodified nanoparticles was evaluated; the presence of the thin layer of grafted-PET on the nTiO2/Ag did not change significantly the bactericide activity, showing an excellent performance similar to unmodified nanoparticles