Study on green preparation of multi-branched gold nanoparticles loaded flexible polyurethane foam for antibacterial dressing

Abstract Antibacterial foam dressing has been developed in recent years based on polymeric membranes and silver ions or silver nanoparticles as antibacterial components. However, silver ions or silver nanoparticles have cytotoxicity to humans. Herein, we used biocompatible multi-branched gold nanoparticles as an antimicrobial agent in polyurethane foam wound dressings. This study described a rapid and surfactant-free method for the preparation of multi-branched gold nanoparticles using hydroquinone as a reducing agent and chitosan as a stabilizer as well as assisted irradiation. The optimal procedure of polyurethane foam fabricated with high water absorption and small average pore size, achieved nearly 500% of absorptivity and 98 nm of pore size. The antibacterial effects of the multi-branched gold nanoparticles containing polyurethane foam against both Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus were investigated. The results demonstrated that multi-branched gold nanoparticles can be used as a viable alternative to conventional antibiotics in wound dressings. Graphical Abstract