Single-step synthesis of AgNPs@rGO composite by e-beam from DC-plasma for wound-healing band-aids

Abstract Currently, there is a huge demand for medical biomaterials aimed to improve antibacterial effect and promote wound healing. In this work, a facile and single-step approach of synthesizing silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and reduced graphene oxide (rGO) composite material (namely, AgNPs@rGO) using high-voltage direct-current (DC) non-thermal plasma was proposed. Electron-beam (e-beam) from the DC-plasma discharge zone was implanted into the solution of AgNO3 and graphene oxide (GO), leading to the reduction of both GO and silver ions. As a result, AgNPs were formed and distributed homogeneously on the reduced graphene sheets. This composite material exhibits excellent antibacterial performance, being able to kill both Gram-positive bacteria Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and Gram-negative bacteria Escherichia coli (E. coli) effectively. Furthermore, this composite material was utilized to prepare wound-healing band-aids. The in vitro assay on mice confirmed the satisfactory curing effect. The cytotoxicity for bio-compatibility and the mechanism for sterilization were also examined and clarified. As such, this work puts forward a facile and new route of preparing antibacterial biomaterial and demonstrates its promising prospect in wound-healing application.