Abstract
A simple, low-cost, and reproducible method for creating materials with even silver nanoparticles (AgNP) dispersion was established. Chitosan nanofibers with silica phase (CS/silica) were synthesized by an electrospinning technique to obtain highly porous 3D nanofiber scaffolds. Silver nanoparticles in the form of a well-dispersed metallic phase were synthesized in an external preparation step and embedded in the CS/silica nanofibers by deposition for obtaining chitosan nanofibers with silica phase decorated by silver nanoparticles (Ag/CS/silica). The antibacterial activity of investigated materials was tested using Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. The results were compared with the properties of the nanocomposite without silver nanoparticles and a colloidal solution of AgNP. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of obtained AgNP against Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) ATCC25923 and Escherichia coli (E. coli) ATCC25922 was determined. The physicochemical characterization of Ag/CS/silica nanofibers using various analytical techniques, as well as the applicability of these techniques in the characterization of this type of nanocomposite, is presented. The resulting Ag/CS/silica nanocomposites (Ag/CS/silica nanofibers) were characterized by small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The morphology of the AgNP in solution, both initial and extracted from composite, the properties of composites, the size, and crystallinity of the nanoparticles, and the characteristics of the chitosan fibers were determined by electron microscopy (SEM and TEM).
Highlights
Hybrid nanocomposites are an important platform for the preparation of new materials with advanced properties [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8]
Noble metal nanostructures encapsulated within or deposited on biopolymers are of particular interest for human [9,10], sensing [11,12], and catalytic applications [13,14,15,16], as these types of materials combine the physicochemical features of noble metal nanostructures and the biological features of polymers [17,18]
The freshly prepared colloidal solution of silver nanoparticles generated an absorption band in the UV-Vis spectrum that illustrated a collective oscillation of electrons of the metal nanoparticles and resonance with the electromagnetic wave [49]
Summary
Hybrid nanocomposites are an important platform for the preparation of new materials with advanced properties [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8]. Noble metal nanostructures encapsulated within or deposited on biopolymers are of particular interest for human [9,10], sensing [11,12], and catalytic applications [13,14,15,16], as these types of materials combine the physicochemical features of noble metal nanostructures and the biological features of polymers [17,18] In this context, chitosan-based nanocomposites are becoming increasingly important due to their multi-functionality, biocompatibility, biodegradability, wide-ranging pH stability, and activity as bioadsorbents [19,20,21,22,23,24,25]. One possible explanation for the affinity of chitosan for silver, as well as for other metal nanoparticles, could be the creation of chemical bonds between the nitrogen atoms, which are considered electron-rich elements, and the lone pairs in the silver orbitals These properties are important in the formation of new functional systems. The proposed interaction model between chitosan matrix and AgNP is shown in Scheme 1
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