Dinar Ayu Sekar Pawening, Bintang Dwi Nur Rohmad, Muh. Fikry Baharuddin, Desinta Dwi Ristiana, Akhmad Sabarudin, Ika Oktavia Wulandari
Sustainable antibacterial materials based on biomass-derived polymers have attracted increasing attention for biomedical applications. In this study, carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) derived from oil palm empty fruit bunches (OPEFB) was utilized to fabricate a CMC/Ag–SiO₂ hybrid nanocomposite. CMC acts as a biocompatible matrix and stabilizing agent for nanoparticle synthesis, while AgNPs provide broad-spectrum antibacterial activity. The incorporation of SiO₂ enhances nanoparticle dispersion, colloidal stability, and physicochemical properties, resulting in improved antibacterial performance of the hybrid system. The successful formation of the hybrid material was confirmed by UV–Vis, FTIR, XRD, DTA/TGA, and FESEM–EDX analyses. Antibacterial evaluation against Salmonella typhi and Staphylococcus aureus demonstrated inhibitory activity (MIC) at 0.03 mg/mL, with MBC values of 2.9 and 1.9 mg/mL. Molecular dynamics simulations suggested that Ag binding induced conformational perturbations in 6PGDH, reflected by higher RMSD values in the Ag-bound system while preserving the overall protein fold. In addition, ADME prediction indicated acceptable physicochemical characteristics, including low Log P (−3.09), TPSA of 89.52 Ų, and no CYP inhibition. Overall, this study presents a sustainable OPEFB-derived CMC/Ag–SiO₂ hybrid system combined with integrated experimental and molecular-level computational analyses to provide broader insight into the formation, stability, antibacterial activity, and possible Ag-mediated antibacterial mechanism of the material. © 2026 The Authors
Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Technology and Mathematics, Brawijaya University, East Java, Malang, 65145, Indonesia
