Design of Macroscopically Ordered Liquid Crystalline Hydrogel Columns Knitted with Nanosilver for Topical Applications

The design of liquid crystalline hydrogels knitted with silver nanoparticles in macroscopic ordering is becoming a subject of research interest due to their promising multifunctional applications in biomedical and optoelectronic applications. The present work describes the development of liquid crystalline Schiff-based hydrogel decorated with silver nanoparticles and the demonstration of its antifungal applications. Schiff base was prepared from polyglucanaldehyde and chitosan, and the former was prepared by the oxidation of amylose (polyglucopyranose) isolated from abundantly available unutilized jackfruit seed starch. Self-assembled silver columns decorated with macroscopically ordered networks were prepared in a single step of in situ condensation and a reduction/complexation process. The various noncovalent interactions among the −OH, −C═O, and −NH impart rigidity and ordering for the formation of macroscopically ordered liquid crystalline hydrogel and the Ag(I) complexation evidenced from the studies...