Functional and antibacterial characterization of electrospun nanofiber membranes made of chitosan and polyvinyl alcohol

[Display omitted] •The production of electrospun nanofiber membranes of chitosan and other polymers has been reported.•Chitosan, polyvinyl alcohol, pectin and carboxymethylcellulose formulations improve mechanical and structural properties.•Nanofiber membranes absorb aqueous medium, simulating skin exudates.•Nanofiber membranes with chitosan and other polymers only have an antibacterial effect by direct contact.•Due to their functional and biological characteristics, membranes have been proposed for the treatment of skin disorders. The development of nanomaterials with improved functional characteristics is a priority because of their applicability in medicine. Therefore, in this study, chitosan nanofiber membranes were electrospun with polyvinyl alcohol supplemented with carboxymethyl cellulose and pectin. The membrane characterization included identifying the functional groups of each polymer, the surface appearance, and the absorption capacity of aqueous media, simulating the exudates of skin diseases. Membrane weight loss was close to 50 % during the first day, and they preserved their integrity throughout the study. The mechanical characteristics demonstrated that the membranes with adjuvants are flexible and tough. The rigidity of the membranes was between 10.49 MPa and 22.65 MPa, and this rigidity decreased with the addition of chitosan and pectin. With chitosan, the elongation at break (8.25 %) was higher but the elastic modulus (450.78 MPa) was lower than those recorded with the other polymers. The effect against Staphylococcus aureus occurs due to chitosan and only by contact. In particular, an inhibition zone increased with the addition of chitosan (178.21 mm2). However, carboxymethyl cellulose showed the least shrinkage (4.4 %). Therefore, it is possible to produce nanofibers to make chitosan and polyvinyl alcohol membranes with improved functional characteristics by the addition of adjuvant agents as an alternative to other skin healing materials.