Multifunctional nanocomposites of chitosan, silver nanoparticles, copper nanoparticles and carbon nanotubes for water treatment: Antimicrobial characteristics

- Multifunctional nanocomposites of chitosan with silver nanoparticles, copper nanoparticles and carbon nanotubes were prepared.
- The nanocomposites are highly differentiable at the low contact time and low concentration.
- The multifunctional nanocomposite has a higher antimicrobial activity, in relative short contact times.
- The prepared Multifunctional nanocomposite can act as a promising integral material for multi-contaminant water treatment.

Multifunctional nanocomposites of chitosan with silver nanoparticles, copper nanoparticles and carbon nanotubes either as bi- or multifunctional nanocomposites were prepared. Change in the overall morphology of the prepared nanocomposites was observed; carbon nanotubes, Ag NPs and Cu NPs are distributed homogeneously inside the polymer matrix individually in the case of the bi-nanocomposites while a combination of different dimensional shapes; spherical NPs and nanotubes was observed in the multifunctional nanocomposite. Multifunctional nanocomposites has a higher antimicrobial activity, in relative short contact times, against both Gram negative and Gram positive bacteria; E. coli, Staphylococcus aureus; respectively in addition to the fungal strain; Aspergillus flavus isolated from local wastewater sample. The nanocomposites are highly differentiable at the low contact time and low concentration; 1% concentration of the multifunctional nanocomposite is very effective against the tested microbes at contact time of only 10 min.

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