Preparation of Durable Antibacterial Cellulose with AgCl Nanoparticles

In this study, a facile method was developed to coat AgCl nanoparticles (NPs) onto knitted cotton fabrics. The AgCl NPs were characterized by ultraviolet absorption spectrum, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and dynamic laser light scattering (DLS). The AgCl NPs were coated onto cotton fabrics through a pad-dry-cure process with the assistance of 1,2,3,4- butanetetracarboxylic acid (BTCA). Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), ICP-OES analysis and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) confirmed that AgCl NPs were successfully coated onto cotton fabrics. The prepared cotton samples exhibited excellent antimicrobial activity against both Gram-positive S. aureus and Gram-negative K. pneumonia bacteria. Rat skin fibroblast cytotoxicity testing demonstrated the treated cotton fabrics to be non-toxic. The washing durability evaluation showed that the antimicrobial function of cotton fabrics was durable to washing. In addition, the wrinkle resistance of the coated cotton fabrics was improved and there was no obvious change in whiteness.     

Fucoxanthin@Polyvinylpyrrolidone Nanoparticles Promoted Oxidative Stress-Induced Cell Death in Caco-2 Human Colon Cancer Cells

Fucoxanthin (FX), a natural carotenoid found in seaweed with multiple functional activities, is unstable with a poor water solubility that limits its utilization. This study aimed to improve FX’s stability and bioavailability via the nano-encapsulation of FX in polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP)-coated FX@PVP nanoparticles (NPs). The FX@PVP NPs were evaluated in terms of their morphology, stability, encapsulation efficiency (EE), loading capacity (LC), and in vitro release to optimize the encapsulation parameters, and a 1:8 FX:PVP ratio was found to perform the best with the highest EE (85.50 ± 0.19%) and LC (10.68 ± 0.15%) and improved FX stability. In addition, the FX@PVP NPs were shown to effectively deliver FX into Caco-2 cancer cells, and the accumulation of FX in these cancer cells showed pro-oxidative activities to ameliorate H₂O₂-induced damage and cell death. The FX@PVP NPs could potentially become a new therapeutical approach for targeted cancer treatment.     

The enhanced electrical conductivity of cotton fabrics via polymeric nanocomposites

Enhanced electrical conductivity of cotton fabrics coated with polyaniline (PANI) and PANI/carbon coated Fe (Fe@C) and carbon coated Co (Co@C) metal nanoparticles (NPs) composites were investigated. PANI/metal nanoparticle (NP) composites were fabricated with a surface initialized polymerization method and silanization helped with chemical bonding to cotton. The volume resistivity of the samples and structural characterizations were assessed by relevant methods. The results showed that enhanced electrical conductivity, thermal stability and magnetization were obtained via polymeric nanocomposites (PNC) and all these findings revealed that PANI/metal NP PNC coated cotton fabrics would exhibit good level electromagnetic shielding performance as a function of combined electrical conductivity and magnetization which is the objective of our future studies.     

Loading Effect of Chitosan Derivative Nanoparticles on Different Antigens and Their Immunomodulatory Activity on Dendritic Cells

Drug carrier nanoparticles (NPs) were prepared by the polyelectrolyte method, with chitosan sulfate, with different substituents and quaternary ammonium chitosan, including C236-HACC NPs, C36-HACC NPs, and C6-HACC NPs. To evaluate whether the NPs are suitable for loading different antigens, we chose bovine serum albumin (BSA), ovalbumin (OVA), and myoglobin (Mb) as model antigens to investigate the encapsulation effect of the NPs. The characteristics (size, potential, and encapsulation efficiency) of the NPs were measured. Moreover, the NPs with higher encapsulation efficiency were selected for the immunological activity research. The results showed that chitosan derivative NPs with different substitution sites had different loading effects on the three antigens, and the encapsulation rate of BSA and OVA was significantly better than that of Mb. Moreover, the NPs encapsulated with different antigens have different immune stimulating abilities to DCS cells, the immune effect of OVA-coated NPs was significantly better than that of BSA-coated NPs and blank NPs, especially C236-HACC-OVA NPs. Furthermore, we found that C236-HACC-OVA NPs could increase the phosphorylation level of intracellular proteins to activate cell pathways. Therefore, C236-HACC NPs are more suitable for the loading of antigens similar to the OVA structure.     

Preparation and Characterization of Antioxidant Nanoparticles Composed of Chitosan and Fucoidan for Antibiotics Delivery

In this study, we developed novel chitosan/fucoidan nanoparticles (CS/F NPs) using a simple polyelectrolyte self-assembly method and evaluated their potential to be antioxidant carriers. As the CS/F weight ratio was 5/1, the CS/F NPs were spherical and exhibited diameters of approximately 230–250 nm, as demonstrated by TEM. These CS/F NPs maintained compactness and stability for 25 day in phosphate-buffered saline (pH 6.0–7.4). The CS/F NPs exhibited highly potent antioxidant effects by scavenging 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), reducing the concentration of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) and superoxide anion (O₂⁻) in stimulated macrophages. The DPPH scavenging effect of CS/F NPs primarily derives from fucoidan. Furthermore, these CS/F NPs activated no host immune cells into inflammation-mediated cytotoxic conditions induced by IL-6 production and NO generation. The MTT cell viability assay revealed an absence of toxicity in A549 cells after exposure to the formulations containing 0.375 mg NPs/mL to 3 mg NPs/mL. Gentamicin (GM), an antibiotic, was used as a model drug for an in vitro releasing test. The CS/F NPs controlled the release of GM for up to 72 h, with 99% of release. The antioxidant CS/F NPs prepared in this study could thus be effective in delivering antibiotics to the lungs, particularly for airway inflammatory diseases.     

Identification of a Pro-Angiogenic Potential and Cellular Uptake Mechanism of a LMW Highly Sulfated Fraction of Fucoidan from Ascophyllum nodosum

Herein we investigate the structure/function relationships of fucoidans from Ascophyllum nodosum to analyze their pro-angiogenic effect and cellular uptake in native and glycosaminoglycan-free (GAG-free) human endothelial cells (HUVECs). Fucoidans are marine sulfated polysaccharides, which act as glycosaminoglycans mimetics. We hypothesized that the size and sulfation rate of fucoidans influence their ability to induce pro-angiogenic processes independently of GAGs. We collected two fractions of fucoidans, Low and Medium Molecular Weight Fucoidan (LMWF and MMWF, respectively) by size exclusion chromatography and characterized their composition (sulfate, fucose and uronic acid) by colorimetric measurement and Raman and FT-IR spectroscopy. The high affinities of fractionated fucoidans to heparin binding proteins were confirmed by Surface Plasmon Resonance. We evidenced that LMWF has a higher pro-angiogenic (2D-angiogenesis on Matrigel) and pro-migratory (Boyden chamber) potential on HUVECs, compared to MMWF. Interestingly, in a GAG-free HUVECs model, LMWF kept a pro-angiogenic potential. Finally, to evaluate the association of LMWF-induced biological effects and its cellular uptake, we analyzed by confocal microscopy the GAGs involvement in the internalization of a fluorescent LMWF. The fluorescent LMWF was mainly internalized through HUVEC clathrin-dependent endocytosis in which GAGs were partially involved. In conclusion, a better characterization of the relationships between the fucoidan structure and its pro-angiogenic potential in GAG-free endothelial cells was required to identify an adapted fucoidan to enhance vascular repair in ischemia.     

Preparation of Doxorubicin-Loaded Carboxymethyl-β-Cyclodextrin/Chitosan Nanoparticles with Antioxidant,Antitumor Activities and pH-Sensitive Release

In this study, chitosan nanoparticles (HF-CD NPs) were synthesized by an ionic gelation method using negatively charged carboxymethyl-β-cyclodextrin and positively charged 2-hydroxypropyltrimethyl ammonium chloride chitosan bearing folic acid. The surface morphology of HF-CD NPs was spherical or oval, and they possessed relatively small particle size (192 ± 8 nm) and positive zeta potential (+20 ± 2 mV). Meanwhile, doxorubicin (Dox) was selected as model drug to investigate the prepared nanoparticles’ potential to serve as a drug delivery carrier. The drug loading efficiency of drug-loaded nanoparticles (HF-Dox-CD NPs) was 31.25%. In vitro release profiles showed that Dox release of nanoparticles represented a pH-sensitive sustained and controlled release characteristic. At the same time, the antioxidant activity of nanoparticles was measured, and chitosan nanoparticles possessed good antioxidant activity and could inhibit the lipid peroxidation inside the cell and avoid material infection. Notably, CCK-8 assay testified that the nanoparticles were safe drug carriers and significantly enhanced the antitumor activity of Dox. The nanoparticles possessed good antioxidant activity, pH-sensitive sustained controlled release, enhanced antitumor activity, and could be expected to serve as a drug carrier in future with broad application prospects.     

Functionalization of the aquatic weed water hyacinth <Emphasis Type="Italic">Eichhornia crassipes</Emphasis> by using zinc oxide nanoparticles for removal of organic dyes effluent

In this study, purified Eichhornia crassipes dead biomass, coated biomass with ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) and one coated with both ZnO NPs and polyethylenimine (PEI) were successfully fabricated as a bioadsorbent and biodegradent of organic dyes from the textile dye effluent. These ZnO NPs are capable of enhancing the dispersability and adsorption capacity of PEI and the anionic dyes. The surface analyses of Eichhornia crassipes, Eichhornia crassipes/ZnO NPs and Eichhornia crassipes/ZnO NPs/ PEI were characterized by SEM, specific surface area and micropore volume. The effect of three parameters including Eichhornia crassipes concentration, dye concentration and contact time on the color removal percent and degradation percent were evaluated. The results showed that the bleached Eichhornia crassipes was an efficient adsorbent for cationic dyes. Also, the effectiveness of Eichhornia crassipes/ZnO NPs was employed as photocatalytic agent for the degradation of C.I. Direct Red 23 in the presence and absence of UV irradiation. Moreover, Eichhornia crassipes/ZnO NPs/PEI shows a high adsorption capacity toward the anionic dyes C.I. Acid Red 40 and C.I. Reactive Orange 91. It was found that, Eichhornia crassipes/ZnO NPs was completely degraded C.I. Direct Red 23 by >90 % within 90 min of UV irradiation time, whereas in the absence of UV irradiation it required a substantially longer time (120 min) to achieve a similar degradation percent. In addition, Eichhornia crassipes/ZnO NPs/PEI was most effective and show the maximum adsorption capacity for C.I. Reactive Orange 91 and C.I. Acid Red 40 and its efficiency for the color removal percent was 100 % for C.I. Reactive Orange 91 and 95 % for C.I. Acid Red 40 in less than 60 min processing time.     

Preparation of Polyurethane Silicon Oxide Nanomaterials as a Binder in Leather Finishing

Leather finishing processes using toxic organic solvent based produce volatile organic compounds (VOC), chronic exposure to this chemicals effect on workers' health causing many diseases especially lung cancer. So, polyurethane waterbased was synthesized for application in leather finishing instead of organic solvent based because it’s economic and safety for industry and workers. Preparation of water-based polyurethane (PU) depends on the reaction of polyethylene glycol (PEG, 300) with isophorone diisocyanate (IPDI) and the reaction of IPDI-1,4-butanediol (BDO) together with dimethylolpropionic acid (DMPA), was synthesized by poly-addition polymerization reaction. PU was then modified with different amounts of silicon dioxide nanoparticles (1-5 % SiO₂), used as a binder in leather finishing. Leather coated was characterized physically, chemically and thermally by FTIR, GPC, DLS, TEM, SEM and TGA. The results revel that, water vapor permeability (WVP) of leather coated with PU modified with SiO₂ showed improvement due to the existence of SiO₂ particles which increases the interspaces of the polyurethane coating. SEM showed that when the amount of SiO₂ nanoparticles increases, there is uniform nanoparticles accumulated can be observed. EDX prove the presence of Si and O₂ elements and the formation of SiO₂ nanoparticles. Mechanical properties discussed that tensile strength; tear strength and elongation at break % increase with increase SiO₂ concentration until 3 % SiO₂ nanoparticles. TGA showed an improvement of thermal stability of coated leather modified with SiO₂. Therefore, this study succeeded in preparation of safe, ecofriendly of water-based polyurethane binders which modified with SiO₂ for using in leather finishing.     

Fabrication of poly(caprolactone) nanofibers containing hydroxyapatite nanoparticles and their mineralization in a simulated body fluid

In the present study, we introduce poly(caprolactone) (PCL) nanofibers that contain hydroxyapatite (HAp) nanoparticles (NPs) as a result of an electrospinning process. A simple method that does not depend on additional foreign chemicals has been employed to synthesize HAp NPs through calcination of bovine bones. Typically, a colloidal gel consisting of PCL/HAp has been electrospun to form nanofibers. Physiochemical aspects of prepared nanofibers were characterized for FE-SEM, TEM, XRD and FTIR which confirmed nanofibers were well-oriented and had good dispersion of HAp NPs. Parameters affecting the utilization of the prepared nanofibers in various nano-biotechnological fields have been studied; for instance, the bioactivity of the produced nanofiber mats was investigated while incubated with stimulated body fluid (SBF). The results from incubation of nanofibers in SBF indicate that incorporation of HAp strongly activates precipitation of the apatite-like materials because the HAp NPs act as seeds that accelerate crystallization of the biological HAp from the utilized SBF.     

Facile procedure for producing silver nanocoated cotton gauze and antibacterial evaluation for biomedical applications

We present a rapid, simple, convenient and cost-effective method for producing nanosized stable silver particles on cotton fibers with complete control of the silver loading level using a thermal reducing silver carbamate complex. Cotton gauze was coated with silver 2-ethylhexylcarbamate solution. Silver nanoparticles on the cotton gauze were characterized by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction. Particle size and lattice image of the silver nanoparticles were studied by scanning electron microscopy. The antibacterial activity of the silver coated cotton gauze against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus, whole blood clotting and physical properties including vertical wicking test, water retention time and absorption of 0.9 % (w/v) saline were studied. Silver coated cotton gauze showed a faster blood clotting rate than the untreated cotton gauze. Cotton gauzes treated with two different silver concentrations (0.01 %, 0.1 %) showed slightly better saline absorption and they had better vertical wicking and water retention time than pristine cotton gauze.     

Chitosan-Based Anti-Oxidation Delivery Nano-Platform: Applications in the Encapsulation of DHA-Enriched Fish Oil

Refined cobia liver oil is a nutritional supplement (CBLO) that is rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), such as DHA and EPA; however, PUFAs are prone to oxidation. In this study, the fabrication of chitosan-TPP-encapsulated CBLO nanoparticles (CS@CBLO NPs) was achieved by a two-step method, including emulsification and the ionic gelation of chitosan with sodium tripolyphosphate (TPP). The obtained nanoparticles were inspected by dynamic light scattering (DLS) and showed a positively charged surface with a z-average diameter of between 174 and 456 nm. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) results showed the three-stage weight loss trends contributing to the water evaporation, chitosan decomposition, and CBLO decomposition. The loading capacity (LC) and encapsulation efficiency (EE) of the CBLO loading in CS@CBLO NPs were 17.77–33.43% and 25.93–50.27%, respectively. The successful encapsulation of CBLO in CS@CBLO NPs was also confirmed by the Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques. The oxidative stability of CBLO and CS@CBLO NPs was monitored by FTIR. As compared to CBLO, CS@CBLO NPs showed less oxidation with a lower generation of hydroperoxides and secondary oxidation products after four weeks of storage. CS@CBLO NPs are composed of two ingredients that are beneficial for health, chitosan and fish oil in a nano powdered fish oil form, with an excellent oxidative stability that will enhance its usage in the functional food and pharmaceutical industries.     

Unprecedented Electromagnetic Shielding Effectiveness of Lightweight Nonwoven Ag/PA66 Fabrics

Novel, high-performance silver coated polyamide, Ag/PA66, nonwoven fabrics with a density of only 0.04 g/cm³ have been developed using staple fibres of 19 (3.3 dtex) and 27 (6.7 dtex) μm diameter. The obtained nonwoven fabrics with an Ag loading of 12-18 wt% exhibited excellent weight-normalised specific electromagnetic shielding effectiveness of over 1200 dB/(g/cm³) in the 0.015-3 GHz range, which is among the highest reported till date. Moreover, the applied microwave was verified to be absorbed rather than being reflected back making the fabrics highly suitable for shielding applications. It was also observed that nonwoven fabrics made from finer 3.3 dtex Ag/PA66 fibres have higher reflection and lower absorption values than their thicker (6.7 dtex) counterparts. Additionally, we have also explored the use of these nonwoven Ag/PA66 fabrics for personal thermal management via Joule heating with samples showing rapid heating response (up to 0.2 °C/sec) and long-term stability measured over 10,000 seconds. The needle-punched Ag/PA66 nonwoven fabrics, in spite of their low density of the order of 0.04 g/cm², exhibited high EMSE values of nearly 69-80 dB, leading to excellent weightnormalised specific electromagnetic shielding effectiveness of over 1200 dB/(g/cm³) in the 0.015-3 GHz range. The production of Ag/PA66 needle punched nonwoven fabrics thus offers a facile route to develop multifunctional fabrics for EMI shielding as well as personal thermal management applications.     

Preparation of magnetic and conductive graphite nanoflakes/SrFe<Subscript>12</Subscript>O<Subscript>19</Subscript>/polythiophene nanofiber-nanocomposites and its radar absorbing application

This study, we synthesized graphite-nanoflakes (GNFs) by acid treatment and thermal shock and then using the ultrasonic irradiation technique to exfoliate flake-carbon. The SrFe₁₂O₁₉ nanoparticles (NPs) were coated by co-precipitate method on GNFs after by alkaline treatment. Finally nanocomposite (GNF/SrFe₁₂O₁₉/PTh) was prepared by in-situ oxidative polymerization method in presence of thiophene (Th) as monomer. The magnetic and electrical conducting properties of the resulting nanocomposites were measured by using vibrating sample magnetometer and standard four-point-probe method, respectively. The synthesized nanocomposites were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and fourier transform infrared spectra (FTIR). In addition, morphological analyses were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). A minimum reflection loss (RL) of GNFs/SrFe₁₂O₁₉/PTh with 50 % wt GNFs/SrFe₁₂O₁₉ as core were observed ?28 and ?39 dB at 9.7 and 12 GHz for a 1.5 mm thickness. The results indicated that we can perform good microwave shielding in X-band (8–12 GHz) by these nanocomposites.     

Size-controlled nanoparticles of poly(acrylonitrile-<Emphasis Type="Italic">co</Emphasis>-methyl methacrylate) for moisture-absorbing heat release applications

Hydrophilic and water-insoluble poly(acrylonitrile-co-methyl methacrylate) [P(AN-co-MMA)] nanoparticles were prepared to investigate their moisture-absorbing heat release effect. The nanoparticle size was controlled by varying the composition of AN and MMA. First, P(AN-co-MMA) nanoparticles were synthesized by emulsion polymerization, followed by cross-linking with hydrazine for water insolubility. Secondly, the hydrazine-cross-linked P(AN-co-MMA) nanoparticles were hydrolyzed in an aqueous NaOH solution to form hydrophilic groups. The hydrolyzed and cross-linked P(AN-co-MMA) [hc-P(AN-co-MMA)] nanoparticles had a more uniform and smaller particle size with increasing MMA content compared to the PAN nanoparticles, this is due to decreasing polar nitrile groups in the P(AN-co-MMA) with MMA content. A nanoparticle size less than 45 nm was obtained for P(AN-co-MMA) with a 20 mol% MMA content. The hc-P(AN-co-MMA) nanoparticles showed a temperature rise maximum of up to 12.9 °C in the moisture-absorbing heat release test. In addition, when the nanoparticles with 20 mol % MMA content were coated on cotton fabrics, the temperature of the fabrics increased by up to 7.8 °C at 90 % relative humidity. This demonstrates that the nanoparticles can be applied as a potential moisture-absorbing heat release material.     

Incorporation of Functionalized Silica Nanoparticles into Polymeric Films for Enhancement of Water Absorption and Water Vapor Transition

Water absorption and water vapor transition are significant mechanisms in many industrial processes. Nanocomposite polymers are appropriate materials for water transition process due to their specific properties. The present work was aimed to enhance the water absorption and water vapor transition by high loading incorporation of silica nanoparticles (NPs) into polyacrylonitrile (PAN) and Pebax 1657 polymers. PAN was used to prepare both the nanocomposite films (NCFs) and support layers of nanocomposite membranes (NCMs). Pebax 1657 was used to fabricate the selective layers of NCMs. Incorporation of NPs into the NCFs were carried out using ex-situ and in-situ (sol-gel) methods. NCFs were fabricated by electrospinning and casting methods. The fabricated NCFs of fibers and polymers were examined through water absorption tests. For fabrication of NCMs, the electrospinning and dip-coating methodologies and the incorporation of NPs into the selective layers by in-situ method were used. Besides, the water vapor permeation tests have been designed and constructed to examine the NCMs for dehydration of methane gas. In order to provide efficient NPs dispersion into NCFs, the surface functionalization of silica NPs with ethylene glycol (EG) was also considered. The functionalized silica NPs were used in the fabrication of NCFs and into the selective layer of NCMs. It is found that in applying the ex-situ method, there is a lot of NPs agglomeration, while the dispersion quality of NPs is higher with the sol-gel method. In addition, the dispersion is improved greatly with functionalization of silica NPs. The water uptake ratio of electrospun mats is about 400 % higher than the cast layers for the same loadings of NPs. The water uptake ratio of the polymeric layers containing EG is about 50 % higher than the samples without EG. The permeance of water vapor for the NCM (15 wt.% of SiO₂/Pebax 1657) fabricated by sol-gel method was enhanced to 54.4 % higher than the membranes without NPs. Functionalization of silica NPs also enhanced the water vapor permeation process. For instance, the water vapor of the NCM containing 30 wt.% of EG/Pebax1657 was increased by 68.7 %.     

Preparation of Copper Nanoparticles Coated Cotton Fabrics with Durable Antibacterial Properties

When copper nanoparticles (Cu NPs) were applied as an antimicrobial agent to finish cotton fabrics, there are two issues should be solved: the oxidization and the weak adsorbability onto cotton fiber surface. In the present work, we developed a new method that can achieve both immobilization and protection of the Cu NPs at the same time. As an effective binder, thioglycolic acid (TGA) was covalently linked to cotton fiber surface via an esterification with the hydroxyl groups of cellulose, then Cu NPs were introduced on the fabric surface in the presence of a protective reagent, citric acid. Due to the doubled stabilization acts of TGA and citric acid, the Cu NPs immobilized on the fabric surface showed an excellent antibacterial effect and outstanding laundering durability. Even after 50 consecutive laundering tests, the modified cotton fabrics still showed satisfactory antibacterial ability against both S. aureus and E. coli, which the bacterial reduction rates are all higher than 96 %. It is believed that this methodology has potential applications in a wide variety of textile productions such as sportswear, socks, and medical textiles.     

Plasma-micropatterning of albumin nanoparticles: Substrates for enhanced cell-interactive display of ligands

The authors demonstrate a novel, efficient, and widely applicable approach to direct the patterning of ligand-functionalized organic nanoparticles derived from albumin on nonconductive, biodegradable polymeric substrates. In contrast to traditional deposition methods for inorganic nanoparticles, the approach involves oxygen plasma treatment of spatially restricted regions on a nonbiopermissive polymer. Albumin nanoparticles conjugated with a truncated fragment of fibronectin containing the Arg-Gly-Asp domain were successfully patterned and used as templates to elicit adhesion and spreading of human mesenchymal stem cells and fibroblasts. Attachment and spreading of both cell types into the plasma-exposed polymer areas was considerably more pronounced than with the ligand alone. The authors hypothesize that the underlying mechanism is oxygen plasma treatment-induced selective enhancement of ligand exposure from the deposited functionalized nanoparticles, which facilitates ligand receptor clustering at the cell membrane. The results highlight a promising nanoscale approach to modulate ligand presentation and spatially direct cell attachment and phenotypic behaviors.     

Development and characterization of multifunctional electrospun ferric oxide-gelatin-glycerol nanofibrous mat for wound dressing applications

In this study, we developed optimal multifunctional electrospun wound dressings possessing an antibacterial activity and rich in iron, a vital trace element for cell growth. Therefore, synthetic ferric oxide nanoparticles (α-Fe₂O₃ NPs) were ultrasonically dispersed into preheated gelatin-glycerol solution. A variety of techniques (X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), differential thermal analysis (DTA), in-vitro swelling-degradation studies and antibacterial tests) were used to characterize the electrospun mats. The results highlight that α-Fe₂O₃ NPs could be successfully dispersed into the electrospun gelatin nanofibers. The electrospun ferric oxide-gelatin-glycerol nanofibrous mats revealed free beads nanofibers with appropriated swelling-degradation behavior. It was observed that addition of α-Fe₂O₃ NPs enhanced the antibacterial activity of electrospun mats against positive and negative bacteria.