Deposition of ethyl cellulose-based drug-carrying coating by low-energy electron beam dispersion and its antifungal properties

In this study, an EC-based dual drug-carrying composite film with ethyl cellulose (EC): silver nitrate = 1: 1 as the upper layer and EC: fluconazole (FCZ) = 1: 1 as the lower layer was prepared using the low-energy electron beam dispersion (EBD) technique. The film molecular structure, chemical composition and morphology were studied by FT-IR, XPS, and SEM methods. The results showed that the EC powder and FCZ powder used had excellent film-forming ability and the prepared films retained the majority of the molecular structure of the original powder. The films exhibited no obvious defects on the surface and their thickness reached the micrometer scale. The contact angle test confirmed good hydrophilicity of the films. With immersion in phosphate buffered saline (PBS), the porous structure formed on the surface of the films facilitated drug release. The kinetic properties of FCZ release from the composite layer into the aqueous environment were investigated, and a long-lasting release of FCZ in the composite layer for about 9 days was tailed. The performance of the films was characterized and the results showed that the EC-based dual drug-carrying composite film exhibited optimal inhibition of Candida albicans.