Antimicrobial Activity of Electrospun Poly(butylenes succinate) Fiber Mats Containing PVP-Capped Silver Nanoparticles

In this study, biodegradable poly(butylenes succinate) (PBS) fiber mats containing silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were prepared by the electrospinning process. Small AgNPs (< 10 nm) were simply synthesized using polyvinylpyrrolidone as the capping agent as well as the reductant. The morphology of the PBS-AgNPs fiber mats and the distribution of the AgNPs were well characterized by TEM and SEM. The release of Ag from the PBS fiber mats was quantitively determined by ICP. The PBS fiber mats with 0.29 % AgNPs content showed strong antimicrobial activity against both gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus and gram-negative Escherichia coli with the efficacy as high as 99 %. The effective bactericidal activity on E. coli was demonstrated for a short contacting time with the PBS-AgNPs fiber mats. In addition, the long-term release performance of Ag from the fiber mats can keep inhibiting the bacterial growth in the mats over a long period of time.