Innovative CMC-based hydrogels with great potentials for usage in medical area were principally synthesized
as per two strategies .The first involved reaction of epichlorohydrin in alkaline medium containing
silver nitrate to yield silver nano-particles (AgNPs)-loaded CMC hydrogel. While CMC acted as stabilizing
for AgNPs, trisodium citrate was added to the reaction medium to assist CMC in establishing reduction
of Ag+ to AgNPs. The second strategy entailed preparation of CMC hydrogel which assists the in situ
preparation of AgNPs under the same conditions. In both strategies, factors affecting the characterization
of AgNPs-loaded CMC hydrogels were studied. Analysis and characterization of the so obtained
hydrogels were performed through monitoring swelling behavior, FTIR spectroscopy, SEM, EDX, UV–vis
spectrophotometer and TEM. Antimicrobial activity of the hydrogels was examined and mechanisms
involved in their synthesis were reported.