Silver-titania/polyurethane composite nanofibre mat for chemical and biological warfare protection

Abstract

The silver-titania nanoparticles with various silver contents were prepared by introducing the silver onto titania surface. Presence of silver was confirmed by various analyses. Compared to neat titania nanoparticle, the silver-titania nanoparticle exhibits better visible light photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue. Loading of silver onto titania leads to an enhancement of the visible light photocatalytic activity. The nanoparticles show good antimicrobial activities against E. coli. It is due to the loaded silver with excellent antimicrobial activity. Next, the silver-titania spreaded polyurethane composite nanofibre mat (CNM) for protection layer of protective clothing material was prepared using simultaneous process of electrospinning and electrospray. The electrosprayed silver-titania nanoparticles are well dispersed on the surface of polyurethane nanofibres. Compared to neat polyurethane nanofibre mat, the CNM shows a better photocatalytic degradation of dimethyl methylphosphonate (DMMP) under visible light and UV-A irradiation for 60 min. The CNM shows good antimicrobial activities against S. aureus.

Combined Modification of Fiber Materials by Enzymes and Metal Nanoparticles for Chemical and Biological Protection

“…They are both difficult to apply for the testing of personal protective equipment. Secondly, the content of nanomaterials (if there is any) is larger by orders of magnitude in comparison to the current work, for example, it was at least 200 mg/m 2 ZnO NPs in [7]; up to 14 g/m 2 Ag and up to 69 g/m 2 ZnTiO 3 NPs in [10]; 11.5 wt.% Ag@TiO2 nanocomposite in [12]; or even cannot be estimated without additional data, as in the case of [9,13].…”

“…In this vein, several approaches have been proposed, using: (i) inorganic metal nanoparticles (NPs), e.g., ZnO [7] and other metal oxides [8]; (ii) nanocomposites, e.g., Ag@Al 2 O 3 [9] and Ag@ZnTiO 3 [10]; (iii) enzymatic biocatalysts, e.g., combinations of horseradish peroxidase and glucose oxidase with chemically modified carriers [11]; etc. Such materials can be photoresponsive (i.e., have photocatalytic activity) [12,13], although there are some doubts about the applicability of such methods in general practice.…”

Emerging Developments in the Use of Electrospun Fibers and Membranes for Protective Clothing Applications

“…Chemical warfare agents such as chlorine, arsine, phosgene etc., are considered the most nefarious chemicals as they damage the skin and nerves [72,73]. Conventionally, protective textile systems are based on the usage of multilayered fabric with a protective layer [2,13,74,75]. The protective layer in these fabrics consist of inorganic material such as activated carbon or activated charcoal, which helps in capturing the chemicals and preventing them from penetrating the fabric.…”

Bioactive Applications for Electrospun Fibers

“…The composite mat was intended for biological warfare protection, also showing capacity for the photocatalytic degradation of dimethyl methylphosphonate. 137 Silver-impregnated TiO 2 / nylon 6 nanocomposite mats is another example of active fibers with combined antimicrobial-photocatalytic activity. 138 …”