Preparation of gelatin nanofibers containing silver by nanoparticles electrospinning

Polymer ultrafine fibers with Ag nanoparticles shows very strong antimicrobial properties, which can be used in the field of wound healing. In order to fabricate gelatin wound dressing with antimicrobial activities, gelatin nanofibers containing Ag nanoparticles were prepared by electrospinning gelatin/AgNO3 solution into nonwoven webs, followed by treatment of ultraviolet irradiation. Through UV-vis spectra, SEM, TEM and XRD analyses, it was observed that the silver nanoparticles were generated and existed in the near surface of the electrospun nanofibers. The average diameter was about 150 nm for pure gelatin fibers and was about 120 nm and 100 nm for gelatin/Ag fibers, respectively. So the addition of Ag+ ions resulted in the decreasing of the average diameter of fibers. It was found that the Ag nanoparticles were evenly distributed in the gelatin nanofibrous webs and the average sizes of silver particles were about 11 nm and 9 nm for the fibers doped 2 wt% and 1 wt% AgNO3, respectively.