Multifunctional polymer nanocomposites reinforced with bio-modified gold and laponite nanoparticles: A study on structural and antibacterial performance

This study investigates the impact of bioengineered nanoparticles, specifically gold and laponite, on the thermal behavior, mechanical strength, and antimicrobial effectiveness of polymers. Gold and laponite nanoparticles were synthesized and incorporated into polymer matrices at a 1% concentration to evaluate their performance improvements. To study the interaction between nanoparticles and Escherichia coli, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy were used, revealing significant adhesion, membrane damage, and bacterial structural deformation, particularly in the presence of gold nanoparticles. Mechanical testing demonstrated a significant increase in tensile strength from 35.3 MPa (pure polymer) to 42.7 MPa and 47.9 MPa with gold and laponite nanoparticles, respectively. Similarly, thermal decomposition temperatures improved from 265.2°C in the control group to 282.6°C and 294.4°C for the gold-Laponite-reinforced composites. Statistical analysis using analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Pearson’s correlation coefficient confirmed that these improvements were significant and positively correlated with the incorporation of the nanoparticles. The results support the multifunctional role of gold and Laponite nanoparticles in improving polymer nanocomposites, indicating their promising applications in biomedical and industrial materials that require structural integrity and antibacterial function.