Antibacterial properties of electrospun Ti3C2Tz (MXene)/chitosan nanofibers

Abstract

Electrospun natural polymeric bandages are highly desirable due to their low-cost, biodegradability, non-toxicity and antimicrobial properties. Functionalization of these nanofibrous mats with two-dimensional nanomaterials is an attractive strategy to enhance the antibacterial effects. Herein, we demonstrate an electrospinning process to produce encapsulated delaminated Ti₃C₂T_z (MXene) flakes within chitosan nanofibers for passive antibacterial wound dressing applications. In vitro antibacterial studies were performed on crosslinked Ti₃C₂T_z/chitosan composite fibers against Gram-negative Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) – demonstrating a 95% and 62% reduction in colony forming units, respectively, following 4 h of treatment with the 0.75 wt% Ti₃C₂T_z – loaded nanofibers. Cytotoxicity studies to determine biocompatibility of the nanofibers indicated the antibacterial MXene/chitosan nanofibers are non-toxic. The incorporation of Ti₃C₂T_z single flakes on fiber morphology was analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy equipped with an energy-dispersive detector (TEM-EDS). Our results suggest that the electrospun Ti₃C₂T_z/chitosan nanofibers are a promising candidate material in wound healing applications.