Enhanced antibacterial property of sulfate-doped Ag₃PO₄ nanoparticles supported on Pan electrospun nanofibers

Heterojunction nanofibers of PAN decorated with sulfate doped Ag₃PO₄ nanoparticles (SO₄ ²⁻-Ag₃PO₄/PAN electrospun nanofibers) were successfully fabricated by combining simple and versatile electrospinning technique with ion exchange reaction. The novel material possessing good flexibility could exhibit superior antibacterial property over sulfate undoped species (Ag₃PO₄/PAN electrospun nanofibers). FESEM, XRD, FTIR, XPS and DRS were applied to characterize the morphology, phase structure, bonding configuration, elemental composition, and optical properties of the as fabricated samples. FESEM characterization confirmed the successful incorporation of SO₄ ²⁻-Ag₃PO₄ nanoparticles on PAN electrospun nanofibers. The doping of SO₄ ²⁻ ions into Ag₃PO₄ crystal lattice by replacing PO₄ ³⁻ ions can provide sufficient electron-hole separation capability to the SO₄ ²⁻-Ag₃PO₄/PAN heterojunction to generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) under visible light irradiation and enhances its antibacterial performance. Finally, we hope this work may offer a new paradigm to design and fabricate other types of flexible self-supporting negative-ions-doped heterojunction nanofibers using electrospinning technique for bactericidal applications.