enhancing the antimicrobial efficacy of acrylic polymers through in situ biological synthesis of copper nanocomposites used in restoration of stony cultural heritage

Acrylic polymer is widely used as a protective material for coatings, bridges, ships and locomotives. additionally, these synthetic polymers are used in the treatment of stone buildings, acting as bonding agents and protective layers. the synthetic polymers can be subjected to various types of degradation, including chemical, physical and biological deterioration. microorganisms as biological agents can also damage the structure and functionality of synthetic polymers. to enhance the structural integrity and functionality of polymers, nanoparticles can be incorporated into polymers to improve their physical properties and antimicrobial capabilities. plant extracts can be utilized to synthesize metal nanoparticles. the biological synthesis is a simple, cost-effective and environmentally friendly method.in this study, an in situ method was used to produce the nanocomposite. first, precursors such as aqueous extract of juglans regia and acrylic polymer were mixed together. this reaction resulted in the formation of nanoparticles within the polymeric structure. the morphological characteristics of the nanocomposite were then studied using field emission scanning electron microscopy (fesem). the presence of copper in this nanocomposite was further analyzed using energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (edx), where the cukα and cukβ peaks confirmed the presence of copper atoms. the antimicrobial activity of the nanocomposite was tested against several strains of bacteria and fungi, including bacillus subtilis, pseudomonas aeruginosa, cladosporium cladosporioides, aspergillus niger and alternaria alternata. the antimicrobial activity of the nanocomposite was compared with the acrylic polymer. the nanocomposite synthesized by the in situ method demonstrated higher antimicrobial activity than the acrylic polymer. while the polymer alone could only reduce the number of bacterial and fungal cells by one logarithm, the nanocomposite achieved a reduction of 2-4 logarithms. with these improved antimicrobial properties, it can be concluded that the bioengineered nanocomposite has reasonable potential for use as an antimicrobial coating of stone surfaces. acrylic polymer is widely used as a protective material for coatings, bridges, ships and locomotives. additionally, these synthetic polymers are used in the treatment of stone buildings, acting as bonding agents and protective layers. the synthetic polymers can be subjected to various types of degradation, including chemical, physical and biological deterioration. microorganisms as biological agents can also damage the structure and functionality of synthetic polymers. to enhance the structural integrity and functionality of polymers, nanoparticles can be incorporated into polymers to improve their physical properties and antimicrobial capabilities. plant extracts can be utilized to synthesize metal nanoparticles. the biological synthesis is a simple, cost-effective and environmentally friendly method.in this study, an in situ method was used to produce the nanocomposite. first, precursors such as aqueous extract of juglans regia and acrylic polymer were mixed together. this reaction resulted in the formation of nanoparticles within the polymeric structure. the morphological characteristics of the nanocomposite were then studied using field emission scanning electron microscopy (fesem). the presence of copper in this nanocomposite was further analyzed using energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (edx), where the cukα and cukβ peaks confirmed the presence of copper atoms. the antimicrobial activity of the nanocomposite was tested against several strains of bacteria and fungi, including bacillus subtilis, pseudomonas aeruginosa, cladosporium cladosporioides, aspergillus niger and alternaria alternata. the antimicrobial activity of the nanocomposite was compared with the acrylic polymer. the nanocomposite synthesized by the in situ method demonstrated higher antimicrobial activity than the acrylic polymer. while the polymer alone could only reduce the number of bacterial and fungal cells by one logarithm, the nanocomposite achieved a reduction of 2-4 logarithms. with these improved antimicrobial properties, it can be concluded that the bioengineered nanocomposite has reasonable potential for use as an antimicrobial coating of stone surfaces.