Antimicrobial Properties and Characterization of Polymer/Composite Nanofibers

摘要

Pathogenic bacteria have been the cause of many illnesses worldwide due to their rapid growth and reproduction in food and water. Bacteria-resistant antibiotics and kidney complications due to overuse of antibiotics has remained a large public health concern. The goal of this research project was to find an alternative by producing nanofibers that inhibit microbial growth utilizing Forcespinning technology. The Forcespinning of poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) with Single Wall Carbon Nanotubes functionalized with OH (SWCNT-OH) and Ag + flakes were carried out on solutions with different concentrations. Scanning electron microscopy was used to view fiber morphology and investigate the average nanofiber diameter. Raman spectroscopy was used to observe the molecular vibrations of the samples investigated, thermal gravimetric analysis was used to compare various samples, dynamic scanning calorimetry was used to observe shifts in the glass transition temperature of PAA at different heating rates, and preliminary antimicrobial properties of the nanofibers was investigated.