Novel biobased polymeric electrospun nanofibers with high antibacterial efficacy

Development of antibacterial electrospun non-woven meshes is of critical importance in several areas such as healthcare products, food packaging, water and air filtration. In this work a novel biocidal polymer, which results active against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus, was synthesized starting from the biobased ricinoleic acid monomer (RA) and processed through electrospinning in combination with a biodegradable polymer poly(butylene succinate) (PBS), through a blending approach. The optimization of electrospinning process parameters allowed fabrication of defect-free nanofibers with uniform fiber diameter distribution. The chemical, physical and mechanical properties of the obtained non woven meshes were characterized and related to mesh structure and composition. The electrospun constructs were microbiologically evaluated and antibacterials tests confirmed their high biocidal efficacy. Mortality rate of E.Coli and S.Aureus was very high and it increased with the amount of PRA in the blends. Notably, the antimicrobial performances of the meshes were retained after 3 cycles of incubation with cell bacterial suspension. The obtained biobased and biodegradable antibacterial electrospun meshes can find useful application in several sectors.