Electrospun chitosan/gelatin nanofibers containing silver nanoparticles

This paper addresses a new method for making silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) containing chitosan/gelatin nanofibers via electrospinning. In the current paper, the AgNPs sizes ranging from 1 nm to 5 nm were synthesized at room temperature using microcrystalline chitosan as the reducing agent and stabilizer followed by dissolving the AgNPs-chitosan composites in gelatin containing acetic acid solution and then electrospinning the prepared solution into AgNPs containing chitosan/gelatin nanofibers. The structure of the resultant nanofibers was examined with the aid of scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The measurement results indicated that the nanofibers having the diameter range of 220-400 nm were apparently smooth and the silver nanoparticles with the size distribution from 2 nm to 10 nm were successfully incorporated into the electrospun nanofibers. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.