Cornstarch/Poly(vinyl alcohol) Biocomposite Blend Films: Mechanical Properties,Thermal Behavior,Fire Retardancy,and Antibacterial Activity

In the present study, biocomposite films of starch/poly(vinyl alcohol) (St/PVA) reinforced with delignified Grewia optiva fiber and methyl methacrylate (MMA) grafted fibers were prepared using citric acid as a plasticizer and glutaraldehyde as the cross-linker. The biocomposite films were subjected to evaluation of mechanical properties, biodegradability, and antibacterial properties. The biocomposite films were characterized by using Fourier transform-infrared (FT-IR) spectrophotometry, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA/DTA/DTG). SEM showed good adhesion between St/PVA blend matrix and fibers. The antimicrobial activity of biocomposite films against pathogenic bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli was also explored. The results confirmed that the biocomposite films may be used for food packaging.     

Characterization of crosslinked Macrotyloma uniflorum(Horsegram) protein films for packaging and medical applications

Natural polymers such as proteins and polysaccharides are of great demand in packaging and medical applications. Horse gram (Macrotyloma uniflorum) is a good source of protein and possess excellent antioxidant properties. The present study investigates the development and potential applications of transparent and water-resistant horse gram protein-based films crosslinked with citric acid. Films prepared were further characterized for their physical, chemical and biological properties. Films crosslinked at higher concentrations (15%) of citric acid exhibited 50% reduction in water sorption and reduced water vapor permeability. At 15% citric acid concentration, the films showed excellent free radical scavenging of up to 96%. Also, maximum antimicrobial activity against clinical isolates were observed for the 15% citric acid crosslinked films. Increase in thermal stability and decrease in water vapor permeability was obtained at higher levels of crosslinking. The crosslinked films were cytocompatible and showed potential to be used as substrates for cell culture. Citric acid crosslinked horse gram protein films have good physicochemical properties along with biological activities and could be suitable for applications in the packaging and medical fields.     

Indole-3-acetic acid based tunable hydrogels for antibacterial,antifungal and antioxidant applications

Indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) based biopolymeric hydrogels with tunable anti-oxidant and anti-fungal character has been synthesized via condensation polymerization as pH-sensitive hydrophilic material.The present study focused on the synthesis of antifungal heterocyclic hydrogel using citric acid (CA), indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and ethylene glycol (EG) by condensation polymerization. The hydrogels revealed a pH-sensitive swelling behavior, with increased swelling in acidic media, which in turn has decreased the swelling in the basic media.The hydrogel samples were tested for antifungal activity against Aspergillus fumigates, Rhizopusoryzae and Candida albicans at different concentrations (500, 1000, 1500, 2000 μg/well). Ketoconazole was used as positive control and DMSO as negative control for antifungal activity. Fungi were increasingly identified as major pathogens in various infections. Hydrogels with antifungal properties may constitute an important restriction to fungal infections. The biopolymeric hydrogels were characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, ¹H-NMR,¹³C-NMR, TGA, DSC followed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The increased antifungal activity was monitored in equimolar composition more than that of other compositions. The antioxidant activity of ICE with DPPH and NO radicals has been compared with rutin. Such antifungal hydrogels with antioxidant properties is recommended for medical applications such as bandages, catheters, drains and tubes to prevent infection.     

柠檬酸对Ru/AC氨合成催化剂结构和活性的影响

使用柠檬酸(CA)修饰石墨化活性炭(AC)和钌以改善Ru/AC催化剂中钌粒子的尺寸分布和催化剂的活性, 并通过透射电镜(TEM)、热重分析(TGA)、CO化学吸附和N2物理吸附等方法研究了柠檬酸对AC和Ru/AC催化剂织构、钌的分散度和催化剂的活性等性质的影响. 结果表明, 负载的柠檬酸优先吸附于活性炭微孔, 少量柠檬酸即可大幅度降低活性炭的比表面积, 增加活性炭表面含氧官能团的数量, 改善了钌粒子分布. 最佳负载顺序是柠檬酸和氯化钌依次负载. 在活性炭中添加适量的柠檬酸对催化剂的低温活性有显著影响. 柠檬酸处理后的Ru/AC催化剂活性最大提高幅度为21.4%.     

Rapid and quantitative detection of the microbial spoilage in milk using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and chemometrics

Microbiological safety plays a very significant part in the quality control of milk and dairy products worldwide. Current methods used in the detection and enumeration of spoilage bacteria in pasteurized milk in the dairy industry, although accurate and sensitive, are time-consuming. FT-IR spectroscopy is a metabolic fingerprinting technique that can potentially be used to deliver results with the same accuracy and sensitivity, within minutes after minimal sample preparation. We tested this hypothesis using attenuated total reflectance (ATR), and high throughput (HT) FT-IR techniques. Three main types of pasteurized milk - whole, semi-skimmed and skimmed - were used and milk was allowed to spoil naturally by incubation at 15 degrees C. Samples for FT-IR were obtained at frequent, fixed time intervals and pH and total viable counts were also recorded. Multivariate statistical methods, including principal components-discriminant function analysis and partial least squares regression (PLSR), were then used to investigate the relationship between metabolic fingerprints and the total viable counts. FT-IR ATR data for all milks showed reasonable results for bacterial loads above 10(5) cfu ml(-1). By contrast, FT-IR HT provided more accurate results for lower viable bacterial counts down to 10(3) cfu ml(-1) for whole milk and, 4 x 10(2) cfu ml(-1) for semi-skimmed and skimmed milk. Using FT-IR with PLSR we were able to acquire a metabolic fingerprint rapidly and quantify the microbial load of milk samples accurately, with very little sample preparation. We believe that metabolic fingerprinting using FT-IR has very good potential for future use in the dairy industry as a rapid method of detection and enumeration.     

High-Toughness Poly(lactic Acid)/Starch Blends Prepared through Reactive Blending Plasticization and Compatibilization

In this study, poly(lactic acid) (PLA)/starch blends were prepared through reactive melt blending by using PLA and starch as raw materials and vegetable oil polyols, polyethylene glycol (PEG), and citric acid (CA) as additives. The effects of CA and PEG on the toughness of PLA/starch blends were analyzed using a mechanical performance test, scanning electron microscope analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, rheological analysis, and hydrophilicity test. Results showed that the elongation at break and impact strength of the PLA/premixed starch (PSt)/PEG/CA blend were 140.51% and 3.56 kJ·m⁻², which were 13.4 and 1.8 times higher than those of pure PLA, respectively. The essence of the improvement in the toughness of the PLA/PSt/PEG/CA blend was the esterification reaction among CA, PEG, and starch. During the melt-blending process, the CA with abundant carboxyl groups reacted in the amorphous region of the starch. The shape and crystal form of the starch did not change, but the surface activity of the starch improved and consequently increased the adhesion between starch and PLA. As a plasticizer for PLA and starch, PEG effectively enhanced the mobility of the molecular chains. After PEG was dispersed, it participated in the esterification reaction of CA and starch at the interface and formed a branched/crosslinked copolymer that was embedded in the interface of PLA and starch. This copolymer further improved the compatibility of the PLA/starch blends. PEGs with small molecules and CA were used as compatibilizers to reduce the effect on PLA biodegradability. The esterification reaction on the starch surface improved the compatibilization and toughness of the PLA/starch blend materials and broadens their application prospects in the fields of medicine and high-fill packaging.     

配体交换法制备水中高分散稳定性的多羧基修饰Fe3O4纳米颗粒

采用油相高温分解法制备了粒径可控且单分散的油溶性Fe3O4磁性纳米粒子(MNPs-OA), 并通过配体交换对其表面进行了亲水性修饰, 制备了柠檬酸(CA)、 N-(三甲氧基硅丙基)乙二胺三乙酸钠(SiCOOH)、 丁烷四羧酸(BTCA)和乙二胺四乙酸 (EDTA)四钠4种多羧基配体修饰的水溶性Fe3O4磁性纳米粒子(MNPs-CA, MNPs-SiCOOH, MNPs-BTCA 和MNPs-EDTA), 其中首次选用四羧基配体BTCA和EDTA四钠来修饰Fe3O4磁性纳米粒子(MNPs). 对油溶性MNPs和4种水溶性MNPs的形貌、 结构、 化学组成和磁性能进行了表征, 并对4种多羧基配体修饰的水溶性MNPs在水相中的稳定性和分散性进行了表征. 结果表明, 所得MNPs的平均粒径为15 nm, 具有超顺磁性, 配体交换后的水溶性MNPs具有良好的亲水性, 并在弱酸～碱性很宽的pH范围内具备良好的分散稳定性. 此类多羧基修饰的水溶性MNPs可与适当的阳离子聚电解质进行组装, 从而得到在磁靶向载体和磁共振造影(MRI)显影中具有良好应用前景的磁性自组装微囊.     

Use of membrane processing to concentrate TGF-β2 and IGF-I from bovine milk and whey

The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential of using membrane processing such as microfiltration and ultrafiltration to concentrate TGF-β2 and IGF-I from milk and whey. Cheese wheys were obtained from Cheddar and Mozzarella cheeses made from pasteurized or thermized milk. Microfiltered or unheated whey (MF-whey) obtained by microfiltration of raw skim milk was used as control. Important losses of TGF-β2 were observed during clarification of pasteurized cheese wheys by microfiltration using a 1.4 μm pore size membrane. The ratio of IGF-I/TGF-β2 decreased from >3500 to 17 upon concentration of cheese whey by ultrafiltration (UF) and diafiltration (DF). UF concentration of MF-whey showed an increased concentration of TGF-β2 by a 13× factor. Lymphocyte proliferations increased upon MF/UF concentration and reached 25.5% inhibition at a 100 μg/mL concentration for MF-WPI, whereas a maximum of 8.5% of lymphocyte proliferation's inhibition was observed for cheese-WPI. Our results suggest that that UF/DF concentration of MF-whey may be a suitable method to prepare whey protein isolates enriched in TGF-β2 and IGF-I.     

Thermally stable amorphous mesoporous aluminophosphates with controllable P/Al ratio: synthesis, characterization, and catalytic performance for selective O-methylation of catechol

Amorphous mesoporous aluminophosphates (AlPO) with P/Al molar ratio in the range 0.8-1.15 are synthesized by using the citric acid (CA) route and are systematically characterized using N(2)-adsorption, XRD, SEM, solid-state CP-MAS NMR, FT-IR, TG-DTA, CO(2)-TPD, and NH(3)-TPD. The characterization studies show that the change in P/Al ratio could affect the structure, texture, thermal stability, and surface acid-base properties of AlPO. Samples with a relatively low P/Al ratio (< or =1.0) exhibit uniform amorphous mesoporous character and high thermal stability (up to 1173 K). Partial crystallization of the AlPO framework easily occurred on the sample with higher P/Al ratio (> or =1.1), thus leading to significant decrease of surface area and formation of particle pile mesopores. Both weak acid and weak base sites are observed over AlPO materials, and the amounts of acid-base sites can be effectively controlled by adjusting the P/Al ratio. The presence of suitable interaction between citric acid and AlPO framework is critical for the formation of mesoporous structures. Both CA and PO(4) units are considered to be ligands to coordinate with aluminum ions, forming relative uniform complexes (such as CA-Al-PO(4)) in the as-synthesized AlPO materials. The mesoporous structure of AlPO materials is obtained after the rapid decomposition of citric acid. Vapor phase selective O-methylation of catechol with methanol reaction is carried out to investigate the catalytic performances of AlPO materials with different P/Al ratios. Among them, AlP(1.1)O shows the highest activity (88.4% conversion of catechol) and the highest yield of guaiacol (74.3%). The presence of suitable weak acid-base pairs may play an important role on the title reaction.     

Effect of Calcium Compound Type and Dosage on the Properties of Acid Rennet Goat’s Milk Gels

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of adding calcium compounds to processed goat’s milk, and on the properties of acid rennet goat’s milk gels, which are a middle product obtained in the manufacture of acid rennet cheese. The properties of the gels directly affect the quality of acid rennet cheeses. The analysis of raw goat’s milk was carried out, then acid rennet gels were produced with the addition of six different calcium compounds (chloride, citrate, bisglycinate, gluconate, lactate, and carbonate). The dynamics of milk fermentation were performed by monitoring the pH value of milk during acidification. The pH, syneresis, color, and texture profile were determined in the formulated acid rennet gels. An organoleptic evaluation was also performed. The study demonstrated that, not only calcium chloride, but also calcium citrate, gluconate, lactate, bisglycinate, and calcium carbonate could be used in the production of goat’s milk acid rennet gels, or the middle product in the manufacture of acid rennet curd cheese from goat’s milk. Notably, the addition of citrate, bisglycinate, and calcium carbonate in doses of 20 mg Ca 100 g⁻¹ most effectively reduced syneresis compared to the control sample by 4.76% (citrate), 7.85% (bisglycinate), and 10.28% (carbonate). The hardness of the control gels ranged from 2.35 N to 2.99 N. The addition of chloride, citrate, gluconate, lactate, and calcium carbonate to the milk improved the acid rennet gel’s hardness. The addition of 20 mg Ca 100 g⁻¹ as gluconate increased the hardness the most (3.61 N). When increasing the calcium dosage in the form of all compounds, there was a tendency to increase the gel’s springiness. The addition of chloride, citrate, and bisglycinate to milk did not result in a darkening of the gel’s color. The addition of calcium compounds mostly reduced the intensity of goatish taste and odor. Calcium gluconate, in particular, reduced the goatish taste the most, a taste which is not always acceptable by the consumers.     

Zn Cl_2-modified ion exchange resin as an efficient catalyst for the bisphenol-A production

A Zn Cl2-modified ion exchange resin as the catalyst for bisphenol-A synthesis was prepared by the ion exchange method. Scanning electron microscope（SEM）, Fourier transform infrared spectrophotometer（FT-IR）, thermo gravimetric analyzer（TGA） and pyridine adsorbed IR were employed to characterize the catalyst. As a result, the modified catalyst showed high acidity and good thermal stability. Zn2＋coordinated with a sulfonic acid group to form a stable active site, which effectively decreased the deactivation caused by the degradation of sulfonic acid. Thus the prepared catalyst exhibited excellent catalytic activity, selectivity and stability compared to the unmodified counterpart.     

Synthesis,spectral and antimicrobial studies of transition metal complexes with novel macrocyclic ligand containing C=N and CO–NH group

This article reports synthesis of Co(II), Ni(II), Mn(II), Cu(II), and Zn(II) complexes with a new macrocyclic ligand 1,4,11,14-tetraazacyclonanodeca-5,10-dioxo-1,14-diene (H₂L). The ligand (L₁) was prepared by reaction of adipic acid and ethylenediamine in 1 : 2 ratio while the macrocycle was derived from 1,4-bis-(2′-amino-ethanamide)butane and glutaraldehyde. The synthesized complexes were characterized by elemental analysis, molar conductance, spectral analyses (¹H NMR spectra, FT-IR spectra, electronic spectra, and mass spectra), magnetic susceptibility measurements, and thermogravimetric studies. On the basis of electronic spectral studies and molar conductance measurements, octahedral geometry was confirmed for Ni(II), Mn(II), and Co(II) while tetrahedral for Zn(II) and square planar for Cu(II) complexes. The TGA results revealed that the complexes exhibited higher thermal stability than the macrocycle. All the complexes were screened against bacterial and fungal strains and preliminary antimicrobial results showed that these complexes inhibited bacterial/fungal growth to a greater extent than the ligand.     

Glass and polymeric membrane electrodes for the measurement of pH in milk and cheese

While there is a considerable interest in the food industry in determining various analytes using ion-selective electrodes (ISEs), only few reports describe their use for direct measurements in food. In this study, the suitability of glass electrodes and ionophore-based solvent polymeric ISEs for the determination of pH in Process cheese, Cheddar cheese and milk was investigated. The liquid junction potential between a 3 M KCl bridge electrolyte and diluted as well as undiluted Process cheese was found to be negligible. Reference electrodes with ceramic plug and sleeve-type junctions performed well, although precautions needed to be taken to prevent plugging at the junctions. While the protein rennet casein posed no problems in pH measurements, the extraction of neutral lipophilic compounds or hydrophobic peptides into solvent polymeric membranes was evident, resulting in some loss of selectivity for monovalent cations upon exposure to cheese. However, it was found that ISEs based on tridodecylamine (R₃N) as ionophore and o-nitrophenyl octyl ether (oNPOE) as plasticizer can be used to accurately measure the pH of milk and, after desensitization of the electrodes in a cheese emulsion, of diluted Process cheese. Since pH measurements with a glass electrode showed that emulsions of cheese moderately diluted to a cheese content of 70% have the same pH as undiluted cheeses, it is possible to determine the pH in cheese with ionophore-based ISEs. R₃N membranes also performed well in undiluted milk.     

柠檬酸对Ni2P/TiO2-Al2O3催化剂加氢脱硫性能的影响

采用溶胶-凝胶法制备了TiO2-Al2O3复合载体,以柠檬酸(CA)为络合剂采用浸渍法制备了Ni2P负载的TiO2-Al2O3复合载体催化剂,并用X射线衍射(XRD)、N2吸附比表面积测定、H2程序升温氢还原(H2-TPR)、程序升温氧化(TPO)、X射线光电子能谱(XPS)技术对催化剂的结构和性质进行了表征,考察了CA/Ni摩尔比对在Ni2P/TiO2-Al2O3催化剂上进行的二苯并噻吩(DBT)加氢脱硫(HDS)性能的影响.结果表明:适量的CA可以丰富催化剂的孔道,提高催化剂的比表面积.当n(CA)/n(Ni)=2:1时,催化剂的比表面积达到126.75m2·g-1,与不加CA时相比,提高了57.05m2·g-1.调节n(CA)/n(Ni)能够改善活性相的分布,改变活性相的种类;引入CA使Ni和P前驱体的还原温度明显降低,促进活性相Ni2P的生成,一定程度上能够抑制催化剂表面炭的形成和沉积,提高其稳定性.n(CA)/n(Ni)=2:1时,催化剂具有最好的加氢脱硫活性,在360°C,3.0MPa,氢油比为500(V/V),液时体积空速为2.0h-1的条件下,二苯并噻吩转化率为99.5%,可将模拟油中硫含量由2%(w)降低到0.01%(w).     

A chemometric approach to the detection of milk adulteration based on protein profiles determined by capillary electrophoresis

The general objective of this study was to utilize chemometrics in the interpretation of capillary electrophoresis milk protein profiles, for the detection of pasteurized milk adulteration with rehydrated milk powder or a rehydrated dairy-based milk substitute. The specific objectives were 1) to collect quantitative data on major casein and whey proteins in authentic and adulterated milks in a single CE analysis; and 2) to apply a pattern recognition procedure, Soft Independent Modeling of Class Analogies (SIMCA), on collected CE protein data, for the development of a statistical model useful in the detection of pasteurized milk adulteration. Authentic samples were fresh milk collected from various farms over a period of six months. Adulterated samples were authentic fresh milk partially or totally substituted with rehydrated milk powder or a rehydrated commercial milk substitute at different levels. Quantitative protein data obtained by capillary free zone electrophoresis for beta-lactoglobulin, alpha-lactalbumin, beta-casein, and alpha-casein of 86 samples, authentic and adulterated samples, were used as a training set to build a SIMCA multivariate statistical model. The detection of sample outliers was useful for the elimination of unusual samples and optimization of the multivariate model. From the 35 commercial pasteurized milks tested, which were treated as unknowns, a total of 14 samples (40%) were not assigned to the authentic or fresh milk group, meaning that these samples had some type of adulteration at the levels included in the training set (> 15%). Decision-making on detecting adulteration of unknown commercial pasteurized milk samples was eased since predictions were based on statistical probabilities.     

The alkylation reaction of benzene with methanol to produce toluene: Y-C and Y-CCs catalyst

The secondary reaction of toluene is difficult to be suppressed in benzene alkylation with methanol over conventional acidic zeolite catalysts. Moreover, the formation of coke yet remains a challenging problem. In this study, Na-Y zeolites were modified with ammonium carbonate (AC), citric acid (CA) and caesium nitrate(CN) to evaluate the alkylation of benzene with methanol, which was also characterized by XRD, SEM, FT-IR, N₂ adsorption and Py-IR. For the Na-Y treated with AC-CA-CN, not only the catalytic selectivity for the alkylation of benzene with methanol was improved (the total selectivity of toluene and xylene was 97.9% and toluene selectivity was 86.4%), but also the quantity of coke was greatly decreased.     

Opportunities and Challenges in the Use of TiO2 Nanoparticles Modified with Citric Acid to Synthesize Advanced Nanocomposites Based on Poly(amide-imide) Containing N,N′-(Pyromellitoyl)-bis-L-leucine Segments

In this study, the goal was the preparation, characterization, and surface morphology of poly(amide-imide)/TiO₂-citric acid nanocomposites (PAI/TiO₂-CA NCs). Owing to the high surface energy and tendency for agglomeration, the surface of TiO₂ nanoparticles was modified with citric acid. Then poly(amide-imide) was synthesized by direct polycondensation reaction of N,N′-(pyromellitoyl)-bis-L-leucine diacid with 4,4′-diaminodiphenylmethane by triphenyl phosphite and tetra-n-butylammonium bromide as a green medium. The attained polymer and modified TiO₂ nanoparticles were used to prepare PAI/TiO₂-CA NCs through ultrasonic irradiation. The resulting PAI/TiO₂-CA NC was characterized with FT-IR spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis.     

Measurement of the carbonaceous component in the Milan urban particulate matter

The carbonaceous component in the Milan urban particulate matter, i.e. the two components black carbon (BC) and organic carbon (OC), has been measured by means of a thermogravimetric analyzer combined with an infrared spectrophotometer (TGA/FT-IR). While black carbon may be considered a primary pollutant, organic carbon includes both primary emissions and secondary organic aerosols. Since carbonaceous aerosol (including a small quantity of inorganic carbon, too) makes up roughly from 25% to 50% of the average annual PM 2.5 mass concentration, a deeper understanding of this component is required. The TGA/FT-IR technique, employed for the first time to our knowledge for the quantification of the particulate matter carbonaceous component, allows, thought the results here presented are preliminary, to assess the two components BC and OC in a simple way especially if compared with the methods reported in the literature. The total carbon (TC) determinations performed by TGA/FT-IR on Milan urban particulate matter are in good agreement with the results obtained by a total organic carbon (TOC) analyzer operating directly on the solid sample.     

Antibacterial modification of cellulose fibers by grafting β-cyclodextrin and inclusion with ciprofloxacin

Antibacterial-modified cellulose fiber was prepared by covalently bonding β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) with cellulose fiber via citric acid (CA) as crosslinking agent, followed by the inclusion of ciprofloxacin hydrochloride (CipHCl) as antibiotic. Effects of reaction time, temperature, concentration of β-cyclodextrin citrate (CA-β-CD) and pH on the grafting reaction were investigated, and the grafting ratio of β-CD onto cellulose fibers was 9.7 % at optimal conditions; the loading and releasing behaviors of CipHCl into/from β-CD grafted cellulose fibers were also revealed, the load amount of CipHCl into grafted cellulose fibers increased remarkably, and the release of CipHCl from the grafted cellulose fibers was prolonged. The microstructure, phase and thermal stability of modified cellulose fibers were characterized by FT-IR, ¹³C CPMAS NMR, X-ray diffraction and TGA. Considerably longer bacterial activity against E. coli and S. aureus was observed for grafted fibers loading CipHCl compared to virgin ones. Optical and mechanical properties of the paper sheets decreased generally with more antibacterial-modified fibers added.     

An eco-friendly synthesis,characterization and antibacterial applications of novel almond gum – poly(acrylamide) based hydrogel silver nanocomposite

Polysaccharide based semi interpenetrating hydrogel (SIH) networks of cross-linked poly(acrylamide) was synthesised through an redox initiating free radical polymerization utilizing almond gum as a grafting backbone, N,N′– methylenebisacrylamide (MBA) as the cross-linker and ammonium persulphate (APS) – N,N,N′,N′-tetramethyl ethylenediamine (TEMED) as the redox initiator pair. Silver ions were introduced into the hydrogel matrix and silver nanoparticles of invariable size were developed insitu of the swollen hydrogel by the reduction of silver ions (Ag⁺) using azadirachta indica (neem) leaf extract. The prepared hydrogel - silver nanocomposite (HSN) was characterized by UV–visible diffused reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), high resolution scanning electron microscopy (HR-SEM), energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The influence of pH on the swelling behavior of HSN was studied and the antibacterial activity of the developed nanocomposite was evaluated.