ELECTROSPUN NANOFIBERS AS ADVANCED ANTIBACTERIAL PLATFORMS: A REVIEW OF RECENT STUDIES

This study aimed to introduce antibacterial nanofibers, produced by electrospinning as a novel technique in constructing nanostructured materials. In the electrospinning technique, a high voltage is applied to a polymer solution to overcome the surface tension. A charged polymer jet is ejected to a grounded electrode. As the solvent is evaporated, the electrospun fiber with diameter from micrometer to nanometer is formed. One of the most important features of electrospun nanofibers stated in this paper is their activity as effective carriers of antibacterial substances, which leads to the use of them in many fields such as food packaging, drug delivery, wound healing, filtration, and food sciences. An electrospun nanofiber containing antimicrobial agents indicates excellent antibacterial functions against a wide spectrum of bacteria and sustain the antibacterial activity over a long period. In general, several aspects of antibacterial nanofibers, including synthesize, applications, types of antibacterial agents combined with them such as essential oils, herbal bioactive components, metals, drugs, and peptides have been stated.