Postsurgery
infections cause prolonged hospitalization, incurring increased patient and hospital costs, making it increasingly vital to develop an effective
solution for the mitigation and elimination of
infection buildup at these sites. Incorporation of a bactericidal device at the
infection-prone sites provides the capability of attacking bacterial growth even after the patient has left the hospital. Polycrystalline
titanium dioxide (TiO2) is photoactive and possesses antibacterial properties that can mitigate the onset of these
infections and aid in wound healing. In this work, TiO2 nanofibers were synthesized by electrospinning. Doping with
iron as well as with
silver (5 wt% and 1 wt%, resp.) was also carried out to increase their effectiveness towards bactericidal properties. The electrospun fibers were processed and tested in the presence of light in the
suspensions of
methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) bacteria, which are the leading
infection-inducing bacteria among hospital patients. It was found that upon brief activation (cf. 30 s) by an infrared
laser source, greater than 90% of the S. aureus was rendered inactive within cf. 10 min. of exposure, thereby showing the potential of
titania nanofibers for effective mitigation of
infection.