Fabrication of bio-based polyurethane nanofibers incorporated with a triclosan/cyclodextrin complex for antibacterial applications

Abstract

A hybrid polyol consisting of a polycaprolactone diol/castor oil mixture was used to synthesize a biopolyurethane (BPU) that has a dendritic point but is soluble in organic solvents. The chemical structure of the obtained BPU was determined using Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy and proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The mechanical properties of the electrospun BPU nanofiber were confirmed using a universal testing machine. To enhance the solubility of triclosan (TR), TR-cyclodextrin (CD) complexes were prepared. alpha CD, beta CD, and gamma CD were used to study the formation of the TR-CD complexes using a coprecipitation technique. The results showed that TR did not form a complex with alpha CD, whereas it forms complexes partially with beta CD and completely with gamma CD. These findings are supported by FT-IR, differential scanning calorimetry, and X-ray diffraction analyses. The electrospun BPU/TR-CD nanofibers were investigated in terms of morphology, releasing behavior, and antibacterial tests. The BPU/TR-gamma CD nanofiber shows better antibacterial activity than the others. The results obtained in this study are expected to broaden the range of biobased polyurethane applications where antibacterial properties are required.