Green synthesis of silver titanium dioxide nanocomposites functionalized with chitosan for enhanced antimicrobial and antioxidant activity

Recently, the development of hybrid composites has witnessed remarkable growth because they exhibit many applications, including environmental and medical applications [ 1 , 2 ]. Organic–organic (e.g., chitosan (CS)–starch, CS-protein, and CS-alginate), organic–inorganic (e.g., starch–TiO 2 , alginate–TiO 2 , and chitosan–TiO 2 ), and inorganic–inorganic (e.g., titanium dioxide (TiO 2 )–Ag, TiO 2 –MgO, and TiO 2 –ZnO) complexes can be combined to create hybrid composites. These techniques work well to disclose new functionality and improve the mechanical and technological qualities of each individual component [ 1 , 3 ]. Combining inorganic materials like TiO 2 with natural polymers like CS to make hybrid composites (CS–TiO 2 ) with advantageous characteristics is currently of particular interest [ 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]. Because CS biopolymer, which is derived from chitin, has several advantageous qualities, including non-toxicity, biocompatibility, and biodegradability, research on it has become crucial to the creation of nanocomposites (NCs) [ 7 ]. CS has different functional groups, such as amine and hydroxyl groups, which allow it to interact with nanoparticles in a way that stabilizes NCs and improves their operating efficiency [ 8 , 9 ]. CS-based NCs become robust materials with antibacterial activity, antioxidant capacity, and wound-healing capability, leading to become ideal and suitable for biomedical applications, food packaging, and environmental requirements [ 10 ]. Their antibacterial and pollutant-binding properties are responsible for their effectiveness in water filtration. Due to the nature of biopolymers in stabilizing or strengthening materials, or performing a dual function, in conjunction with polymers, carbonaceous materials, and metal oxides, a variety of industries use CS to produce NCs [ 11 ]. Research on bio-functional materials and green nanotechnology relies heavily on CS owing to its structure–function link [ 12 , 13 ].