Abstract

The chitosan (CS)-organic rectorite (OREC) composites are prepared with the method of solution intercalation. Electrospun nanofibrous mats are made from intercalated CS-OREC composites at different mass ratios. The properties and structure of intercalated CS-OREC can be verified by small angle X-ray diffraction (SAXRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) micrographs. Energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy and fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectra reveal that OREC presents in the composite nanofibrous mats. The MTT assay indicates that the cytotoxicity of the intercalated CS-OREC nanofibrous mats is low. Besides, the content of OREC in nanofibrous mats has a significant influence on the viability of cells. Antibacterial test confirms that OREC can increase the inhibition rate of the nanofibrous mats against Escherichia coli.

Keywords: Antibacterial activity, bacterial activity, cytotoxicity, chitosan, electrospinning, intercalation, organic rectorite