Hydrogel Based on Cellulose and Mangosteen Rind Extract With Antibacterial Activity: Preparation and Characterization

ABSTRACT In this study, an efficient method to prepare antibacterial hydrogel from natural resources was carried out. The extraction of mangosteen rind was made. Silver nanoparticle was introduced to the hydrogel through the reduction of AgNO 3 with the mangosteen rind extract. Hydrogels were prepared through graft‐copolymerization of acrylic acid on cellulose in the presence of ammonium persulfate as initiator, followed by crosslinking with N, N ′‐methylenebisacrylamide. The characterization of components, structure, and properties of the rind extract and the hydrogels was carried out. The solvent mixture of water:ethanol 1:2 (v/v) was the most suitable solvent for the extraction of mangosteen rind. The silver nanoparticle was found to form a strong interaction with the composition of the hydrogel, which resulted in the improvement of the thermal property and the sterilization of both gram‐positive and gram‐negative bacteria. When the silver content was 9.7 ± 0.2 wt%, the hydrogel achieved the highest thermal property and antibacterial activity.