In this work, we utilized electrospinning to develop
advanced composite
membranes of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) loaded with postmetalated metal–organic
frameworks (MOFs), specifically UiO-66(COOH)2-Ag and ZIF-8-Ag.
This innovative technique led to the creation of highly stable PVC/MOFs-Ag
membrane composites, which were thoroughly characterized using various
analytical techniques, including scanning electron microscopy, powder
X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis, X-ray photoelectron
spectroscopy, porosity analysis, and water contact angle measurement.
The results verified the successful integration of MOF crystals within
the nanofibrous PVC membranes. The obtained composites exhibited larger
fiber diameters for 5 and 10% MOF loadings and a smaller diameter
for 20% loading. Additionally, they displayed greater average pore
sizes than traditional PVC membranes across most MOF loading percentages.
Furthermore, we examined the antibacterial properties of the fabricated
membranes at different MOFs-Ag loadings. The findings revealed that
the membranes demonstrated significant antibacterial activity up to
95% against both Gram-negative (Escherichia coli) and Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus) bacteria as the MOFs-Ag loading increased, even when maintaining
a constant silver concentration. This indicates a contact-based inhibition
mechanism. The outcomes of this study have crucial implications for
the development of novel, stable, and highly effective antibacterial
materials, which could serve as superior alternatives for face masks
and be integrated into materials requiring regular decontamination,
as well as potential water filtration systems.