Ecofriendly development of electrospun antibacterial membranes loaded with silver nanoparticles

Abstract

Functional polymeric membranes with antibacterial properties have gained significant importance in many applications. Silver NPs offer advantage over other materials for their effective antibacterial properties and being safer for humans at low concentrations. The synthesis of silver NPs may not always be environmental friendly and their incorporation in the polymer membranes is usually a multistep process. In this study, PVDF/PVP/AgNPs electrospun membranes were developed in a single step process where silver NPs were synthesized using reducing and stabilizing properties of PVP. The UV-vis spectroscopy confirmed the synthesis of silver NPs in PVP solution by sharp absorption peak at 398 nm. The membranes were loaded with various concentrations of silver NPs (1, 1.5, 2 and 2.5 wt%). The scanning electron microscopy of the developed membranes showed nano fibers of uniform diameter at optimized electrospinning conditions. FTIR spectroscopy also confirmed the successful development of polymeric composite (PVDF/PVP/AgNPs) membranes. The composite membranes demonstrated effective antibacterial properties against Staphylococcus aureus in disk diffusion test. The size of the inhibition halo increased with the concentration of the silver NPs in electrospun membranes. The findings of this study will be helpful in the simple and environmentally friendly development of antibacterial membranes for applications such as air and water filtration.

Reuse of Textile Waste to Production of the Fibrous Antibacterial Membrane with Filtration Potential

“…Mixtures of existing solvents, such as FA and AA with chloroform, acetone, N, N-dimethylformamide, dichloromethane, or even hexafluoro-2-propanol, have been used until now for nano- or micro-fibrous mats preparation by electrospinning [ 57 , 58 , 63 ]. Virgin polyamide has already been electrospun for many applications, such as water or air filtration, composites with antioxidant activity, or improved mechanical properties [ 53 , 54 , 55 , 56 ]. HFIP is an acidic alcohol, and due to its strong hydrogen bonding properties, it can be used as a solvent for many different polymers.…”

“…The antibacterial activity of neat rPA or rPA/MAG fibrous membranes was tested by the standard agar diffusion technique [ 55 ]. The fibrous layers were cut into circular disks (diameter 9 mm).…”

Recent Developments in Materials and Manufacturing Techniques Used for Sports Textiles

“…Staphylococcus aureus is the most commonly occurring bacteria causing infectious diseases. For this purpose, the development of antibacterial clothing is a necessity for the sports industry [112][113][114]. It was reported that the use of chitosan fibers in sportswear and socks delivered the properties like antibacterial, fungicides, and moisture balance [115,121].…”

“…These photocatalytic agents could be implanted into sportswear [134]. Nano-sphere™ was produced by a company named Schoeller Textile AG to manufacture self-cleaning fabrics for sports textiles [112]. Self-cleaning properties can be achieved through super-hydrophobic and super-hydrophilic surfaces as shown in Figure 13.…”

Textile Functionalization Using LTA and FAU Zeolitic Materials

“…This with the aim to obtain waterproof and breathable textiles [ 17 ]. In the work of Irfan et al [ 18 ], electrospun membranes of polyvinylidene fluoride and polyvinyl pyrrolidone were modified with different amounts of Ag NPs. These membranes showed antimicrobial activity against S. aureus .…”