# A Flexible, Antibacterial Platform: Silver-Tuned Polyvinyl Alcohol with Enhanced Opto-Mechanical and Electrical Properties

## TL;DR

This paper introduces a new flexible material made of silver and PVA that improves mechanical, electrical, and antibacterial properties for use in electronics.

## Contribution

A novel Ag/PVA nanocomposite platform with tunable opto-mechanical and antibacterial properties is developed.

## Key findings

- Adding silver nanoparticles reduced the optical band gap from 3.78 eV to 3.37 eV.
- The nanocomposites showed increased tensile strength, hardness, and hydrophobicity.
- AC conductivity increased significantly with silver content, reaching 1.01 × 10−4 S/cm.

## Abstract

Silver/polyvinyl alcohol (Ag/PVA) nanocomposite films were synthesized via solution casting with varying concentrations of Ag nanoparticles (1–5 wt%). A comprehensive investigation was conducted to understand the influence of Ag content on the structural, optical, mechanical, thermal, electrical, and antibacterial properties of the composites. UV-Vis spectroscopy revealed a red shift in absorption peaks and a reduction in the optical band gap, which decreased from 3.78 eV for pure PVA to 3.37 eV for the 5 wt% Ag composite. FTIR and SEM analyses confirmed successful nanoparticle incorporation and morphological changes. The nanocomposites exhibited enhanced tensile strength, elongation at break, Young’s modulus, and hardness due to strong interfacial interactions. The addition of Ag also increased hydrophobicity and imparted effective antibacterial activity. The electrical and thermal properties showed significant improvement: AC conductivity increased from 5.8 × 10−9 to 1.01 × 10−4 S/cm with Ag content, while the dielectric constant decreased. A high DC conductivity of 1.5 × 105 S/cm was achieved with only 3 wt% Ag. Thermal conductivity also rose from 0.27 W/m·K for pure PVA to 0.92 W/m·K for the 5 wt% composite. These results demonstrate that Ag/PVA nanocomposites are promising multifunctional materials for flexible electronics, combining tunable optoelectronic properties with enhanced mechanical, thermal, and antibacterial performance.