Design and Evaluation of Novel Poly (Vinyl Alcohol)-Based Electrospun Nanofibers Bearing Quaternized Zinc Phthalocyanine with Improved Antibacterial Efficiency

Abstract

Electrospinning of macrocyclic compounds offers a versatile route to functional nanofibers for biomedical applications. However, the small molecular size and tendency to aggregate of such compounds often preclude their direct processing. Herein, we report the fabrication of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) nanofibers uniformly embedded with a dimethylaminophenyl-functionalized, quaternized zinc phthalocyanine derivative (Q-DMAPZnPc) via a straightforward aqueous electrospinning process. Successful incorporation of Q-DMAPZnPc into the PVA matrix was confirmed by FT-IR and 1H NMR spectroscopies. SEM revealed bead-free fibers with average diameters decreasing from 152 +/- 20 nm to 110 +/- 23 nm as the Q-DMAPZnPc loading increased. Water contact angle, thermogravimetric, and differential scanning calorimetry analyses demonstrated that both hydrophilicity and thermal stability of the fibers improved with higher Q-DMAPZnPc content. The singlet oxygen quantum yield (Phi Delta) of the PVA-Q-DMAPZnPc (5 wt %) was measured as 0.35. Importantly, quaternization endowed the fibers with potent antibacterial activity: under visible-light irradiation, PVA-Q-DMAPZnPc mats achieved significant log-reduction against both Gram-negative (Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhimurium) and Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus) pathogens, markedly outperforming neat PVA controls. These findings highlight the promise of Q-DMAPZnPc-loaded PVA nanofibers as light-activated antimicrobial platforms for next-generation therapeutic and protective materials.