Synthesis of Gold-PVP Nanostructured Composites by Microplasma: A Test to Study Their Inhibiting Tendency of Avian Influenza Virus Activity

Abstract

Gold–polymer nanostructured composites have a great potential in the biomedical and advanced materials field as an antimicrobial agent against various pathogens, especially viruses. In the present work, gold and gold-PVP colloids have been prepared by the electrochemical reduction of hydrogen tetrachlorauric acid (HAuCl4·3H2O) precursor. The atmospheric pressure microplasma technique was used as a reducing agent, while D-Fructose was used as a stabilizing agent in the synthesis process. X-ray Diffraction (XRD) confirmed the crystalline behavior of both gold nanostructured particles and gold-PVP nanocomposites. The morphology of the nanoparticles was examined by SEM. The absorption characteristic peaks at 541 nm and 542 nm in UV-Vis spectra confirmed the surface plasmon resonance in gold nanostructured particles and gold-PVP nanostructured composites, respectively. Dynamic light scattering studies with percentage intensity distribution revealed particle size distribution ranges from 8–288 nm for gold colloids and 15–297 nm for gold-PVP colloids. Gold-PVP nanostructured composites have shown an improvement in the antiviral activity against the H9N2 virus as compared to bare gold nanostructured particles.