Nonwoven Materials As Carriers of Biogenic Nanoparticles of Silver and Cadmium Sulfide with Antimicrobial Properties

Biogenic nanoparticles of silver (AgNPs) and cadmium sulfide (CdSNPs), which were obtained by microbial synthesis using the bacteria Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 and Bacillus subtilis 168 respectively in the presence of ions of the corresponding metals and sulfur, are used for inclusion in the composition of polymer materials of various types. Nonwoven materials based on polyamide and polylactide are obtained and characterized: the average fiber diameter in materials made from polyamide is 1.1 µm, and in materials made from polylactide, it is 3.7 and 7.2 µm. The surface properties of the nonwoven fabrics when in contact with water are assessed as hydrophobic for polylactide and hydrophilic for polyamide. Due to the different surface properties of the nonwoven materials, AgNPs and NPsCdS are effectively included into the composition of polyamide, where a coating of biogenic NPs is present in all fiber layers, and in the polylactide matrix, only in the surface layers. The antimicrobial activity of AgNPs and CdSNPs is retained in the polyamide-based material and is demonstrated for a wide range of microorganisms from various systematic groups.