Preparation and properties of antibacterial composite aerogel based on wheat straw

The issue of waste utilization of wheat straw has been significant, the problem of straw utilization was solved by using waste straw to prepare functional materials. Biomass aerogel materials have great potential in the field of thermal insulation due to their excellent properties of low density, high specific surface area and high porosity. This research develops an antibacterial wheat straw-based aerogel through surface functionalization and demonstrates its extended applicability in multifunctional composites. Nano AgO(n-AgO) was selected as the antibacterial agent to evaluate the antibacterial efficacy of the composite aerogels in this research. XRD analysis confirmed that the prepared material contained Ag²⁺ and SEM images revealed the uniform dispersion of n-AgO within the aerogel. The prepared aerogels exhibited a porosity of over 80%, indicating excellent adsorption and thermal insulation properties. When the addition amount of n-AgO was 0.4%, the maximum inhibitory zone diameters against Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) were 1.7 and 2.4 cm, respectively, demonstrating the excellent antibacterial performance of the composite aerogels. This research not only provides a new approach for the comprehensive utilization of wheat straw but also offers new insights for the development of novel antibacterial materials.