Preparation of a novel silk microfiber covered by AgCl nanoparticles with antimicrobial activity

We prepared silk fibroin microfibers in which silver chloride (AgCl) nanoparticles were dispersed, by sequential dipping of microfibers obtained using alkaline hydrolysis in alternating solutions of silver nitrate and potassium chloride. Scanning and transmission electron microscopy showed an increase in nanoparticle size and quantity with increase in dipping cycles and solution concentration, but ultrasound irradiation did not affect nanoparticle formation. The presence of cubic AgCl crystals was confirmed by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and X-ray diffractometry. Differential scanning calorimetry and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy revealed that the nanoparticles do not affect the microfiber properties. The growth of Gram-negative (Escherichia coli) and Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus) bacteria was inhibited by microfiber covered with AgCl nanoparticles. This antimicrobial activity allows to use microfiber as a reinforced or surface additive biomaterial. Microsc. Res. Tech. 80:272-279, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.