Highly antibacterial and toughened polystyrene composites with silver nanoparticles modified tetrapod‐like zinc oxide whiskers

In this work, high‐performance multifunctional composites were obtained by melt blending silver deposited tetrapod‐like zinc oxide whiskers (Ag‐ZnOw) with polystyrene (PS). The chemical, spectroscopic, antibacterial, mechanical, and morphological properties of the PS/Ag‐ZnOw composites were carefully investigated and discussed. The obtained PS/Ag‐ZnOw composites characterized remarkable antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus). Moreover, it is found that impact strength of the composite increase with increasing nanofiller concentration (up to 0.25 wt %). Morphological characterization of the impact fractured surface of composites revealed that toughening was achieved through uniform filler distribution in the polymer matrix, and anchoring effect was imparted by the tetrapod‐like shape of ZnO whiskers. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014 , 131, 40900.