Electrospinning of Ag Nanowires/polyvinyl alcohol hybrid nanofibers for their antibacterial properties.

In order to developing a sort of flexible fibrous mats with outstanding and durable antibacterial activates, silver nanowires incorporated into polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) nanofibers were fabricated by electrospun method. Uniform Ag nanowires (NWs) were synthesized through a template-free method of solvothermal combined with polyol process, and then, they were dispersed in PVA solution. At last, Ag NWs embedded in PVA (Ag NWs/PVA) hybrid nanofibrous films were gained by electrospun of the mixed solution. The antibacterial activity of Ag NWs/PVA nanofibers against Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) was investigated by the methods of absorption and turbidity. Ag NWs with a mean diameter of 86nm were demonstrated to be uniformly incorporated into PVA nanofibers, forming a core-sheath nanocable structure. The as-prepared flexible and free-standing Ag NWs/PVA nanofibrous films show outstanding antimicrobial activities against both E. coli and S. aureus. It's found that both matrix polymer of PVA and enrichment of active {111} facets present in Ag NWs are favorable for the antibacterial performance.

Fabrication of silver nanoparticles embedded into polyvinyl alcohol (Ag/PVA) composite nanofibrous films through electrospinning for antibacterial and surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) activities.

Silver nanoparticle-embedded polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) nanofibers were prepared through electrospinning technique, using as antimicrobial agents and surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrates. Ag nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized in liquid phase, followed by evenly dispersing in PVA solution. After electrospinning of the mixed solution at room temperature, the PVA embedded with Ag NPs (Ag/PVA) composite nanofibers were obtained. The morphologies and structures of the as-synthesized Ag nanoparticles and Ag/PVA fibers were characterized by the techniques of transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), ultraviolet-visible absorption spectroscopy (UV-vis), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). Ag NPs have an average diameter of 13.8nm, were found to be uniformly dispersed in PVA nanofibers. The Ag/PVA nanofibers provided robust antibacterial activities against both Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and Gram-negative Escherichia coli (E. coli) microorganisms. It's also found that Ag/PVA nanofibers make a significant contribution to the high sensitivity of SERS to 4-mercaptophenol (4-MPh) molecules.