One-step preparation of polymer nanofibers containing silver nanoparticles

POLY 138

Wen-Ji Jin, moonhee820407@hanmail.net, Hyun Jeong Jeon, polygirl@inhaian.net, Eun Hwan Jeong, clioman@nate.com, Ji Hye Hong, jhhong@inhaian.net, and Ji Ho Youk, youk@inha.ac.kr. Department of Advanced Fiber Engineering, Inha University, 253 Yonghyun-dong, Nam-gu, Incheon, 402-751, South Korea
A simple one-step method for preparing poly(acrylonitrile) (PAN), polyurethane (PU), and poly(N-vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP) nanofiber mats containing silver (Ag) nanoparticles was developed in order to produce antimicrobial polymer nanofiber mats. PAN/DMF, PVP/DMF, and PU/DMAc/THF solutions containing Ag nanoparticles were directly electrospun. Ag+ ions in these polymer solutions were directly reduced into Ag nanoparticles by their solvent, which was confirmed by UV-vis. spectroscopy and TEM analysis. DMF and DMAc were used as a solvent for these polymers as well as a reducing agent for Ag+ ions. PVP containing Ag nanoparticles could be used to introduce Ag nanoparticles into other polymer such as PVA, which is miscible with PVP. The average sizes and distributions of the Ag nanoparticles were dependent on the kind of polymers.