Polymer nanocomposites with sub 5nm nanoparticles for improved antimicrobial effectiveness

A method for production of an antimicrobial polymer nanocomposite structure comprising the steps of:

• a) dissolving a polymer in an aqueous or organic solvent at room temperature;
• b) preparing a solution of a metal salt precursor by dissolving the metal salt precursor in a solvent that does not act as a reducing agent at ambient conditions and is miscible with the aqueous or organic solvent the polymer is dissolved in;
• c) transferring the solutions prepared in steps a and b into a coiled-flow reactor by two syringes controlled by syringe pumps or by peristaltic pumps to obtain pre-defined reaction concentrations for scalable productions or by a single syringe if no reducing agent is used at room temperature in the solvents from steps a and b by closing one valve;
• d) pre-mixing the solutions prepared in steps a and b in a three-way connector for homogeneous mixture formation before reaching the coiled-flow reactor;
• e) dispensing the solutions prepared in steps a and b to the coiled-flow reactor at known concentrations and flow rates under constant microwave power;
• and
• f) producing homogeneously distributed nanoparticles (NPS) with <5 nm in size in a polymer matrix under controlled pressure provided by a pressure regulator and pressurized gas.