A simple approach to constructing antibacterial and anti-biofouling nanofibrous membranes

In this work, antibacterial and anti-adhesive polymeric thin films were constructed on polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanofibrous membranes in order to extend their applications. Polyhexamethylene guanidine hydrochloride (PHGH) as an antibacterial agent and heparin (HP) as an anti-adhesive agent have been successfully coated onto the membranes via a layer-by-layer (LBL) assembly technique confirmed by attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The antibacterial properties of LBL-functionalized PAN nanofibrous membranes were evaluated using the Gram-positive bacterium Staphylococcus aureus and the Gram-negative Escherichia coli. Furthermore, the dependence of the antibacterial activity and anti-biofouling performance on the number of layers in the LBL films was investigated quantitatively. It was found that these LBL-modified nanofibrous membranes possessed high antibacterial activities, easy-cleaning properties and stability under physiological conditions, thus qualifying them as candidates for anti-biofouling coatings.