OICC Press International Nano Letters 2228-5326 15 2 2025 06 30 Electrospun PAN/ZnO/CuO Nanofibers: Investigation of Microstructure and Antibacterial Activity 10.57647/inl.2025.1502.08 EN Sara Azarakhsh Department of Physics, Faculty of Basic Sciences, Lorestan University, Khorramabad, Lorestan, Iran Mohammad Hossein Majles Ara Photonics Laboratory, Department of Physics, Kharazmi University, Alborz, Iran Reza Beiranvand Faculty of Chemistry, Department of Analytical Chemistry, Lorestan University, Khorramabad, Iran Journal Article 2025 06 30 Antibacterial polymeric nanofibers derived from PAN nanofibers exhibit remarkable promise for a variety of applications in the biomedical field. In this study, we explored the incorporation of zinc oxide and copper oxide nanoparticles into PAN/ZnO/CuO nanofibers, which were meticulously fabricated using the electrospinning technique complemented by an ex-situ generation method. The structural properties of the PAN/ZnO/CuO nanofibers were characterized through XRD analysis, which confirmed a significant interaction between the ZnO/CuO nanoparticles and the electrospun PAN matrix. Additionally, FE-SEM and AFM imaging provided compelling visual evidence that the ZnO/CuO nanoparticles are uniformly distributed throughout the PAN nanofiber network, indicating a well-integrated composite structure. To evaluate their potential for clinical use, we rigorously tested the antibacterial efficacy of the PAN/ZnO/CuO nanofibers against a range of bacterial strains commonly found in hospital environments. The results were promising, revealing that these composite nanofibers exhibit a pronounced antibacterial effect against several pathogens, including Salmonella, Shigella, Escherichia coli, Streptococcus pneumoniae, and Staphylococcus aureus. Such findings suggest that these advanced nanofibers could play a crucial role in enhancing infection control measures in medical settings.