Abstract
Copper-coated nanofibrous materials are desirable for catalysis, electrochemistry, sensing, and biomedical use. The preparation of copper or copper-coated nanofibers can be pretty challenging, requiring many chemical steps that we eliminated in our robust approach, where for the first time, Cu was deposited by magnetron sputtering onto temperature-sensitive polymer nanofibers. For the first time, the large-scale modeling of PCL films irradiation by molecular dynamics simulation was performed and allowed to predict the ions penetration depth and tune the deposition conditions. The Cu-coated polycaprolactone (PCL) nanofibers were thoroughly characterized and tested as antibacterial agents for various Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Fast release of Cu2+ ions (concentration up to 3.4 µg/mL) led to significant suppression of E. coli and S. aureus colonies but was insufficient against S. typhimurium and Ps. aeruginosa. The effect of Cu layer oxidation upon contact with liquid media was investigated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy revealing that, after two hours, 55% of Cu atoms are in form of CuO or Cu(OH)2. The Cu-coated nanofibers will be great candidates for wound dressings thanks to an interesting synergistic effect: on the one hand, the rapid release of copper ions kills bacteria, while on the other hand, it stimulates the regeneration with the activation of immune cells. Indeed, copper ions are necessary for the bacteriostatic action of cells of the immune system. The reactive CO2/C2H4 plasma polymers deposited onto PCL-Cu nanofibers can be applied to grafting of viable proteins, peptides, or drugs, and it further explores the versatility of developed nanofibers for biomedical applications use.
Highlights
The preparation of copper/copper oxide nanofibrous materials became a prevalent topic thanks to a vast range of applications of such nanomaterials, including catalysis [1,2], disinfection [3], antiviral nanocomposites [4], antibacterial wound dressings [5,6], sensors [7], CO2 electrocatalytic reduction [8] and others
The effect of component standard solution—copper (Cu) layer oxidation upon contact with liquid media was investigated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy revealing that, after two hours, 55% of Cu atoms are in form of CuO or Cu(OH)2
The Cu-coated nanofibers will be great candidates for wound dressings thanks to an interesting synergistic effect: on the one hand, the rapid release of copper ions kills bacteria, while on the other hand, it stimulates the regeneration with the activation of immune cells
Summary
The preparation of copper/copper oxide nanofibrous materials became a prevalent topic thanks to a vast range of applications of such nanomaterials, including catalysis [1,2], disinfection [3], antiviral nanocomposites [4], antibacterial wound dressings [5,6], sensors [7], CO2 electrocatalytic reduction [8] and others. Authors witnessed both antibacterial and cytotoxic effects of their Cu-containing nanofibers and, interestingly, various forms of Cu (Cu0, Cu+, Cu2+, CuO, and Cu(OH)2) behave differently in different cultures. Polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanofibers with embedded CuO were tested for antimicrobial breathe masks with high antibacterial effects [21]. Phan and co-authors made a similar conclusion for E. coli and B. subtilis [19] They concluded that CuO and Cu(OH) embedded into polyacrylonitrile nanofibers would be less effective than CuSO4 but more efficient than metallic Cu thanks to the faster release of Cu2+ ions from oxidized surfaces. The antibacterial properties against Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria and cell viability of mesenchymal stromal cells were studied, and the mechanism of Cu-coated PCL nanofibers onto different strains was discussed
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