Hydroxyethyl cellulose/bacterial cellulose cryogel dopped silver@titanium oxide nanoparticles: Antimicrobial activity and controlled release of Tebuconazole fungicide

Cryogelmaterials are composed of porous and lightweight structures that can be used formany industrial applications, particularly, in agriculture for the controlled release of Tebuconazole fungicide. Accordingly, we prepared environmentally friendly cryogel using natural polymers such hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC) and bacterial cellulose (BC). The cryogelwas formed by blending aqueous solutions of both HEC and BC, which was then crosslinked with glyoxal and themixture was underwent to drying using freeze drying technique. Different concentrations of the as prepared silver@titaniumoxide nanoparticles (Ag@TiO(2)NPs) were incorporated within the cryogel formation in order to increase its antimicrobial efficiency. A mode pesticide Tebuconazole was encapsulated in the cryogel platformin order to control the release of Tebuconazole. Thus, the developed cryogel which was porous, cheap and had an antimicrobial effect, controlled pesticide release suggesting that it is a potential candidate for agricultural applications. (C) 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.