Development of antibacterial effective PBS/TPU/Ag NP hollow electrospun wound dressing

In this study, hollow Polybutylene succinate/Thermoplastic polyurethane/Silver Nanoparticles (PBS/TPU/AgNP) nanofibers were produced by adding silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) in different ratios (2 wt%, 4 wt%, 6 wt% and 8 wt%) to the PBS/TPU (60/40, w/w) mixture using the coaxial electrospinning method. Petroleum-derived TPU, which is frequently preferred in biomedical applications, was mixed with Bio-PBS to develop nanomaterials that have a partially biodegradable structure and combine the superior properties of the two polymers. In addition, the production of liquid absorbent nanofibers was achieved by emptying the interior of the hydrophobic PBS/TPU nanofibers. While the physical interaction of the PBS/TPU/AgNP mixtures was evaluated with Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis, it was also proven that the PVP structure was completely removed from the core of the nanofibers, thus the interior of the nanofibers was empty. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) surface images showed that the 6% Ag NP doped nanomaterial had the thinnest fibrous with a value of 279 nm. In comparison, the smoothest hollow nanofiber was the 8% Ag NP-added electrospinning mat. It was observed that the tensile strength and elongation of nanofibers increased as the Ag NP additive amount increased. While pure PBS/TPU hollow electrospun membrane showed 260% liquid absorption capacity, it was reported that the liquid absorption capacity of Ag NP doped nanofibers decreased due to the presence of liquid-repellent metal nanoparticles. All AgNP-added nanofibers exhibited 100% antibacterial activity against both E. coli and S. aureus bacteria for 48 h. Cytotoxicity test results observed that the 2% Ag NP doped nanofiber could be used as an antibacterial effective modern wound dressing owing to the fibroblast cell viability of over 70% at both 24 and 48 h. This study contributes to developing nanofibers with environmentally friendly, non-toxic, and biodegradable properties.