Electrospinning of Gelatin Functionalized with Silver Na-noparticles for Nanofiber Fabrication

Abstract

The present paper deals with gelatin nanofibres functionalized with silver nanoparticles, prepared by electrospinning using solutions of gelatin mixed with silver nitrate (AgNO 3 ). As a common solvent for gelatin and silver nitrate (AgNO 3 ), a mixture of acetic acid and water (70:30 v/v) was selected. In this system, acetic acid was used as a solvent for gelatin, and at the same time reducing agent for silver ions in solution. Silver nanoparticles (nAg) were stabilized through a mechanism that involves an interaction of the oxygen atoms of the carbonyl groups of gelatin. The viscosity and the conductivity of the gelatinous solutions were found to increase with the solution concentration. There is an observed decrease in the viscosity of the nAg containing gelatin solutions with the aging time increasing, whereas the conductivity of the AgNO 3 -containing gelatin solutions was greater than that of the base gelatin solution. The gelatin nanofibres functionalized with silver nanoparticles were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and antimicrobial test. The results of investigations by TEM and XRD confirmed the presence of silver nanoparticles with diameters in the range of (2 -10 nm), uniformly distributed over the surface of smooth nanofibres with an average diameter of 70 nm. The release of silver ions from both the 2-and 4-hrs crosslinked nAg containing gelatin fiber mats by a total immersion method in buffer and distilled water occurred rapidly during the first 60 minutes, and increased gradually afterwards. Lastly, the tests demonstrated that gelatin/Ag nanofibers have a good antimicrobial activity against some common bacteria found on burned wounds. The antibacterial activity of these materials was greatest against Staphylococcus aureus, followed by Escherichia coli, and Pseudomonas aeroginosa ≈ Candida albicans.

Electrospinning of gelatin fibers using solutions with low acetic acid concentration: Effect of solvent composition on both diameter of electrospun fibers and cytotoxicity

“…It is obvious from the results that the concentration of gelatin directly affects the viscosity of the mixture (Table ), which is in agreement with the literature . The viscosity increased along with the gelatin content due to the high chain entanglement between the polymer chains induced by the increase of the polymer concentration.…”

In vitro cytotoxicity and antibacterial activity of silver-coated electrospun polycaprolactone/gelatine nanofibrous scaffolds

“…Comparing the ATR spectra of the PCL and PCL/Ge (70:30) nanofibrous scaffolds, two different bands were observed in the ATR spectrum of the PCL/Ge (70:30) nanofibrous scaffold, i.e., amide I at 1657 cm −1 and amide II at 1540 cm −1 . The band at 1657 cm −1 represents carbonyl (C=O) stretching vibrations of the amide groups of Ge and the band at 1540 cm −1 represents the stretching of C–N bonds and bending of N–H bonds (Chong et al 2015 ; Oraby et al 2013 ). In Fig.…”

Preparation of electrospun nanofibers from solutions of different gelatin types using a benign solvent mixture composed of water/PBS/ethanol

“…In previous works it has been reported that the physicochemical properties of the dope solution (i.e. viscosity) are much more crucial for controlling the degree of electrospinnability and the final diameter of the electrospun fibers than the operational conditions (i.e.…”