Abstract
A viable alternative for the next generation of wound dressings is the preparation of electrospun fibers from biodegradable polymers in combination with inorganic nanoparticles. A poly(vinyl alcohol)-chitosan-silver nanoparticles (PVA-CTS-Ag NPs) system has been developed for antimicrobial and wound healing applications. Here, the preparation of PVA-CTS-Ag electrospun fibers using a two-step process is reported in order to analyze changes in the microstructural, mechanical, and antibacterial properties and confirm their potential application in the biomedical field. The Ag nanoparticles were well-dispersed into the chitosan matrix and their cubic structure after the electrospinning process was also retained. The Ag NPs displayed an average diameter of ~33 nm into the CTS matrix, while the size increased up to 213 nm in the PVA-CTS-Ag(NPs) fibers. It was observed that strong chemical interactions exist between organic (CTS) and inorganic phases through nitrogenous groups and the oxygen of the glycosidic bonds. A defect-free morphology was obtained in the PVA-CTS-Ag NPs final fibers with an important enhancement of the mechanical properties as well as of the antibacterial activity compared with pure PVA-CTS electrospun fibers. The results of antibacterial activity against E. coli and S. aureus confirmed that PVA-CTS-Ag(NPs) fibers can be potentially used as a material for biomedical applications.
Highlights
In recent years, nanofibers or filaments, of sizes smaller than 100 nm in diameter, have attracted the attention of researchers for the production of advanced materials with applications in catalysis, tissue engineering, textiles, membranes, electronics, optics, sensors, coatings, biomedicine and biotechnology [1,2]
For the electrospun fibers and NPs, the interplanar distances are in agreement with those reported in the crystallographic PDF #01-089-3722 chart, corresponding to the (111), (200), (311) and (222) planes, which confirm the presence of Ag NPs with cubic structure inside the electrospun fibers. These results suggest that the formation of the electrospun fibers by the electrospinning process did not affect the structural properties of the Ag NPs, which is indicative of the high miscibility of the CTS-Ag NPs compound with the poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) solution performed before the electrospinning process
PVA-CTS-Ag electrospun fibers were synthesized by employing an environmentally friendly method in order to evaluate their potential application as coating or wound dressings to avoid diverse causes of skin trauma in humans
Summary
Nanofibers or filaments, of sizes smaller than 100 nm in diameter, have attracted the attention of researchers for the production of advanced materials with applications in catalysis, tissue engineering, textiles, membranes, electronics, optics, sensors, coatings, biomedicine and biotechnology [1,2]. CTS can contain between 6% and 9% nitrogen and comes in different degrees of purity, molecular weight and physicochemical properties (odor, color, solubility, viscosity and reactivity) [15] It is a biodegradable, biocompatible, non-toxic polymer [16], with antibacterial, antifungal and antioxidant properties [17,18]; it participates during the regulation of blood coagulation and it helps for the acceleration of wound healing [19]. Chitosan has some disadvantages, such as its polycationic nature, rigid chemical structure and specific inter- and intramolecular interactions that make chitosan solutions highly viscous, which makes the direct electrospinning of chitosan solutions difficult to control [26] It is combined with other natural or synthetic polymers to improve its mechanical properties and processability; such as PVA and PEO [27,28]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
