Polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanofibers containing beta-cyclodextrin (beta-CD) and Ag nanoparticles have been prepared by electrospinning technology. The silver nanoparticles were obtained from the AgNO3/PAN/DMF solution, in which AgNO3 acted as the precursor, DMFas reducing reagent, and PAN as protective agent. Then, beta-CD was added to above solution and the resultant Ag/beta-CD-PAN/DMF solution was directly electrospun to prepare Ag/beta-CD-PAN nanofibers. The morphology of the nanofibers has been characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The antimicrobial properties were investigated by Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and Gram-negative Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria, and the results indicated that the composite nanofibers showed stronger antibacterial activity. (C) 2012 Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved.