Evaluation of bioaerosol inactivation ability of chitosan-based biohybrid nanofibers loaded with aloe vera mediated silver nanoparticles: Sustainable material for environmental protection

Abstract

Development of multifunctional polymer-nanofibers with long-lasting antibacterial efficacy is significant to control the biohazards associated with airborne pathogenic microorganisms for sustainable environmental protection. Hence, in the present study biohybrid-nanofibers based on chitosan biopolymer embedded with green-synthesized silver-nanoparticles (AgNPs) were fabricated through electrospinning technique. The pathway of formation of AgNPs with an average size of 50 nm involves in the reduction of AgNO3 by aloe vera leaves extract, which acts as both reducing and capping agent. Morphological examination confirmed the uniform structure of the scaffolds (diameter varied from 32.3 to 273.1 nm) without considerable beads and furthermore, AgNPs play an important role in controlling their average diameter. Fibers with nanosilver exhibited adequate surface area (15.6–83.1 m2/g) for releasing the essential functional groups to prevent the broad spectrum of microbes. No evidence of cytotoxicity of these scaffolds was observed in the cell-viability test, suggesting their biocompatible nature. Porosity measurement of various surface-layer of these fibers by Image-J analysis exhibited their controlled porous structure, favorable for filtration applications. Microbial interaction with these fibers resulted in an excellent inhibition on the growth of the pathogens and fibers entrapped with maximum content of AgNPs proved to have enhanced antimicrobial action, which further confirmed by flow-cytometric analysis. Novel approach based on the application of green electrospinning technique for the formation of cost-effective scaffolds loaded with plant-mediated nanosilver, with a view on mechanistic aspect on their antimicrobial action and, further exploring their reliability in filtration applications, paving the way for innovation in the field of material research.