Electrospun polyacrylonitrile nanofibers modified by quaternary ammonium salts

Abstract

Electrospinning from a capillary is one of the methods for the production of nanofibers. The specific properties of such fibers result first of all from their large specific surface and the high porosity of the fiber mat. This article presents a process for producing functional nanofibers with antimicrobiological properties by electrospinning from polyacrylonitrile/dimethyl sulphoxide solution containing a bioactive agent based on quaternary ammonium salts (N, N, n, n,-didecyl-N,N-dimethylammonium chloride, Bis-(3-aminopropyl)-dodecylamine) and 2-propanol. The structure of the nanofibers obtained and their antimicrobial activity are investigated. A 5 wt % addition of bioactive preparation to the polymer solution (concentration of active substance in solution about 1.5 wt %) makes it possible to obtain fibers showing good bactericidal properties. After 6 h in contact with these fibers, Escherichia coli are eliminated to a level of 99.84% and Staphylococcus aureus to 99.99%. The IR spectrophotometric measurements do not indicate a residue of solvent in the bioactive nanofibers and show an increase in content of CH and CH 2 groups in relation to the pure nanofibers, which is connected with the presence of the biocide. Their degree of crystallinity determined by the X-ray scattering method is 44.4%. The nanofibers obtained can be designed for medical and filtration applications.

Quaternary ammonium-based biomedical materials: State-of-the-art, toxicological aspects and antimicrobial resistance

“…Sustained broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity is desirable for optimal wound healing because complex tissue interactions between cells, extracellular matrix molecules and soluble mediators are involved in the regeneration of damaged skin or other tissues. Previous studies reported addition of small molecule QACs such as benzalkonium chloride, N,N,n,n,didecyl-N,N-dimethylammonium chloride to polymer solutions for electrospinning of antibacterial nanofibers [306,307]. Such methods suffer from drawbacks such as reduction in fiber diameter and a burst release of QACs.…”

Preparation and characterization of antimicrobial electrospun poly(vinyl alcohol) nanofibers containing benzyl triethylammonium chloride

“…Several researchers have selected QACs as antimicrobial agents because they had a broad spectrum of antimicrobial activity and could be easily electrospun with PVA polymers [28,38,42]. Benzyl triethylammonium chloride (BTEAC) is a one example of QACs [44]. Some researchers have incorporated BTEAC into polymer solution in order to change the electrical conductivity and surface tension of the solution and to increase spinnability during the electrospinning of nanofibers [45][46][47][48][49].…”

Electrospun PAN–GO composite nanofibers as water purification membranes

“…As the overall physical properties of the resulting materials are strongly controlled by the diameter/thickness of each nanofiber strand and/or the presence of additives (e.g., fillers), finding the optimum electrospinning conditions without disturbing their original structures is always challenging . Recently, hydrophilic polyacrylonitrile (PAN) was electrospun to form nanofiber‐based membranes for water purification because it often serves as a raw material in manufacturing carbon‐based fibers . In addition, the PAN material is relatively easy to handle, and regulating the porosity and pore size of the resulting membranes can be simply tuned by controlling the electrospinning conditions.…”