Abstract: In this paper, hydroxyl-functionalized silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were applied to prepare AgNP-loaded chitosan fibers by a novel incubation-adsorption method. The adsorption ability and adsorption mechanisms of AgNPs on chitosan fibers were evaluated and analyzed using the visible spectrophotometer method. The antimicrobial property of AgNP-loaded chitosan fibers as a function of AgNP content was also studied. Finally, the AgNP-loaded chitosan fibers were characterized by SEM and XPS. The results showed that the chitosan fibers’ adsorption capacity to AgNPs was up to 3 390 mg/kg, and the AgNPs were evenly distributed on the surface of chitosan fibers. Antibacterial test showed that AgNP-loaded chitosan fibers showed excellent antibacterial property. When AgNP content reached to 1 000 mg/kg, the antibacterial rates against both E. coli and S. aureus were over 99%.

Key words: hydroxyl-functionalized AgNPs; chitosan fiber; adsorption capacity; antibacterial property