Synthesis and Antibacterial Studies of Silver Loaded TiO₂ Electrospun Nanofibers Against E. coli by Fluorescence...

In healthcare, bacterial infections always remain a critical challenge. In this study, pristine and Ag-TiO₂ nanofibers (NFs) with varying silver (Ag) concentration (2wt.%, 4wt.%, 6wt.% and 8wt.%) were prepared by electrospinning, followed by calcination at 500 °C for 3 h. Morphological characterization revealed the formation of one-dimensional NFs with mean diameter 83.06 to 25.80 nm, depending on the Ag loading. The antibacterial activities were investigated using conventional methods (well diffusion, colony forming units counting) and advanced techniques (Confocal laser scanning fluorescence microscopy, Scanning electron microscopy and Fluorescence spectroscopy). The results from antibacterial studies have revealed that sample with 8wt.% Ag-TiO₂ exhibited the most significant antibacterial effect as evidenced by marked reduction in CFUs, almost complete quenching of fluorescence emission intensity and perforated bacterial membranes and cellular debris.