Abstract
A novel and facile approach to prepare hybrid nanoparticle embedded polymer nanofibers using pressurised gyration is presented. Silver nanoparticles and nylon polymer were used in this work. The polymer solution's physical properties, rotating speed and the working pressure had a significant influence on the fibre diameter and the morphology. Fibres in the range of 60-500nm were spun using 10wt.%, 15wt.% and 20wt.% nylon solutions and these bead-free fibres were processed under 0.2MPa and 0.3MPa working pressure and a rotational speed of 36,000rpm. 1-4wt.% of Ag was added to these nylon solutions and in the case of wt.% fibres in the range 50-150nm were prepared using the same conditions of pressurised gyration. Successful incorporation of the Ag nanoparticles in nylon nanofibres was confirmed by using a combination of advanced microscopical techniques and Raman spectrometry was used to study the bonding characteristics of nylon and the Ag nanoparticles. Inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy showed a substantial concentration of Ag ions in the nylon fibre matrix which is essential for producing effective antibacterial properties. Antibacterial activity of the Ag-loaded nanofibres shows higher efficacy than nylon nanofibres for Gram-negative Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa microorganisms, and both Ag nanoparticles and the Ag ions were found to be the reason for enhanced cell death in the bacterial solutions.
Highlights
Hybrid nanofibres are an interesting class of materials currently receiving significant attention due to their unique chemical, electrical, optical and mechanical properties that could be achieved by combining the advantages of nanoparticles and polymer nanofibres [1,2]
ZnO and Ag nanoparticles were used for filling polymers such as polyurethane for making nanofibres which have demonstrated a high degree of antibacterial-activities [19]
It should be noted that, the viscosities of Ag-loaded nylon suspensions decreased compared to the nylon only counterparts because, as received, Ag nanoparticles were dispersed in an organic solvent and this constituent acts like a surfactant in the Ag-nylon suspension
Summary
Hybrid nanofibres are an interesting class of materials currently receiving significant attention due to their unique chemical, electrical, optical and mechanical properties that could be achieved by combining the advantages of nanoparticles and polymer nanofibres [1,2]. These properties enable such materials to be used in a wide range of applications including biomedical, energy storage, catalysis and sensors. The antibacterial activities of nylon and Ag-loaded nylon nanofibres were studied by using Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa tested in aerobic suspension cultures These hybrid nanofibres could be utilised for a wide range of biological applications, such as antibacterial wound dressing, functional scaffolds for tissue engineering, and antibacterial water and air filtration devices and systems
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