Preparation and Performance of an Antibacterial Fiber Mat with High Breathability and Moisture Permeability Based on Electrospinning

Abstract

Antibacterial fiber mats play a crucial role in inhibiting the spread of bacteria and preventing bacterial transmission. While polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) exhibits excellent biological inertness, the lack of antibacterial properties in pure PTFE fiber mats has diminished their competitiveness. In this study, we developed an antibacterial fiber mat with high breathability and moisture permeability by introducing silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) into a PTFE emulsion through electrospinning. In this study, five sets of concentration gradients from 1% to 5% were set up, and the comparison revealed that the best PTFE/Ag NPs composite fiber mat (PA fiber mat) performance was achieved at 3% Ag NPs concentration. Compared to PTFE fiber mats without Ag NPs loading and conventional expanded membranes (ePTFE), it demonstrated antibacterial rates of 97.1% against Escherichia coli (E. coli) and 97.0% against Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), a moisture permeability performance of 15,500 ± 304 g(m²·12h)⁻¹, and excellent breathability. The fiber mat exhibited not only outstanding antibacterial capabilities but also a water contact angle of 137.6°, an elongation at break of approximately 260.92%, and a tensile strength of about 1.84 MPa. These properties offer great promise for PA fiber mats in antibacterial fabric applications including medical masks and protective clothing.