Durability of antimicrobial agent on nanofiber: A collective review from 2018 to 2022

Since the spread of COVID-19 worldwide, antimicrobial, and antiviral chemicals have been developed and widely used to create an effective antibacterial biomaterials and textiles based on unique nanofibers. However, the leaching of antimicrobial agents from the nanofibers in use due to their instability ultimately remains a concern. Therefore, a full investigation of the durability of antibacterial agents is required for safe and compatible utilization. This review summarizes recent work on the combination of antimicrobial agents and nanofibers by first describing the fabrication of functionalized antimicrobial nanofibers and then addressing the durability of antimicrobial agents on these nanofibers. In particular, the intrinsic structure of antimicrobial nanofibers, the compatibility of antimicrobial agents with specific nanofibers, and the self-assembly process are described. In addition, the antimicrobial activity of the nanofibers is reviewed, with a focus on factors affecting the bacterial/viral removal efficiency and their interaction mechanisms. The present review also summarizes the criteria required to ensure the stability of antimicrobial agents for nanofiber applications. Special attention is given to durable antimicrobial agents for washable antibacterial textiles. Finally, this paper reviews future directions and emerging technologies for antimicrobial nanofiber applications. This review thus highlights the importance of durability for the reuse of antibacterial nanofibers and textiles while maintaining their microbial effectiveness.