Fuente: Polymers Polymers, Vol. 18, Pages 374: Hyperbranched Polymer Dendrimers Embedded in Electrospun Nanofibers for Safe and Sustainable Antibacterial Filtration Materials
Polymers doi: 10.3390/polym18030374
Authors:
Matej Buzgo
Baturalp Yalcinkaya
Miroslav Doupník
Radmila Žižková
Viktorie Rockova
Kristyna Vrbova
Michaela Sobotkova
Alena Milcova
Anezka Vimrova
Michal Šíma
Pavel Rossner
Jamie Godfrey
Pedro Ferreira Costa
Amir Fahmi
Viraj Pratap Nirwan
Thomas Martinez
Eva Filová

The global crisis concerning multidrug-resistant microorganisms necessitates the development of innovative antimicrobial strategies that avoid conventional antibiotics and overcome the toxicity and environmental persistence associated with traditional metal-based biocides. This work aims to develop safe and sustainable antibacterial filtration materials by integrating cationic hyperbranched polymer dendrimers (HBP) into electrospun nanofibers. Cationic HBPs were successfully embedded into recycled polyamide 6 nanofibers using industrial needleless electrospinning. Filtration efficiency, assessed against a 0.3 µm paraffin oil aerosol according to EN 149:2001, consistently exceeded 99.8%, meeting and surpassing the FFP3 classification threshold while maintaining low air resistance. The HBP-functionalized nanofibers exhibited pronounced contact-active antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. Quantitative plate count assays confirmed viability reductions of up to 74.1% after 2 h of co-incubation. Crucially, the absence of inhibition zones in agar diffusion tests confirmed that the active polymer was stably embedded within the nanofiber matrix and did not leach. Comprehensive toxicological tests, including cell line and 3D human skin and airway tissue models, confirmed the material’s safety for both dermal and respiratory contact. This study presents a scalable, metal-free, and environmentally responsible next-generation filtration system that combines high mechanical efficiency with active antimicrobial functionality.