TiO₂ Nanofibers for Biomedical Applications: From Fabrication to Bacterial and Fungal Selectivity: A Review

Abstract

The titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanofibers have garnered much interest particularly in the biomedical sector whereby its characteristics, i.e. high surface volume ratio, high photocatalytic activity and high biocompatibility have made it very popular. To expand the magnitude of production of such nanofibers, various and diverse synthesis techniques such as electrospinning, sol-gel processing and template assisted techniques, have been used. In particular, the methods also enable optimization of the morphology and the crystal structure of the final materials by the research. The TiO2 nanofibers have been used in these fields, leading to their application in tissue engineering scaffolds up to antimicrobial coating. They are activity selective in relation to bacterial and fungal pathogens due to their efficacy. The review will comment on the history of manufacturing of TiO2 nanofibers and the uses that the developments have been put in biomedical applications. This review also features their antimicrobial effect and selectivity towards different kinds of microorganisms is also discussed in relation to next-generation TiO2 nanofibers when applied to the biomedical materials.