Electrospun Nanostructured PLA Mats Reinforced with Ag-Coated TiO₂ Nanoparticles for Antibacterial Activity...

Nanofibers hold various applications, particularly in biomedical engineering purposes, due to their functionalities. This study aimed to prepare nonwoven nanofiber mats from a polylactic acid (PLA) composite with varying concentrations of silver-coated titanium dioxide (Ag@TiO₂) nanoparticles using electrospinning techniques for wound dressing. The effect of Ag@TiO₂ on the morphological surface, thermal properties, chemical structure, and water absorbency of PLA electrospun fiber mats was investigated by using different spectroscopic, microscopic, and thermal techniques. SEM images revealed that the average diameter of the PLA/Ag@TiO₂ nanofibers increased with the concentration of Ag@TiO₂ nanoparticles. FTIR results indicated that no chemical bonding occurred between the Ag@TiO₂ nanoparticles and PLA. DSC results showed that T _g and T _m values of the PLA/Ag@TiO₂ nanocomposites were not significantly changed by the concentration of Ag@TiO₂. However, the swelling ratio of the PLA/Ag@TiO₂ nanofibers is lower than that of neat PLA nanofibers due to the hydrophobicity of PLA matrices. Furthermore, the antibacterial activity of the PLA/Ag@TiO₂ nanofibers demonstrated their effectiveness against both Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus) and Gram-negative (Escherichia coli) bacteria. In this study, we successfully fabricated PLA/Ag@TiO₂ nanofiber mats via an electrospinning process, highlighting their potential as a material for medical applications.