The permanent antimicrobial equipment of surfaces is one key strategy for the provision of improved hygienic living conditions that are favourable in water tanks/pipes, food processing, sanitary equipment, and generally in all areas publicly frequented. The blending/compounding of commodity polymers such that mere surficial contact of microbes is sufficient to provide the targeted antimicrobial effect has gained considerable attention. Two strategies have become prominent: Polycationic polymers are able to repel the calcium layer surrounding numerous microbes, which results in microbial death (Figure 1). Tungstate and molybdate polyanions easily undergo protonation-deprotonation cascades and cause proton-mediated microbial death.<br/>Experimental findings involving these strategies will be presented. The microwave-assisted syntheses of poly(2- oxazoline)s and poly(2-oxazine)s from microwave-assisted polymerizations and subsequent polymeranalogous modifications will be presented. The number of cationic functionalities in the polymers can be increased by continued acid-mediated hydrolysis of the side-chain amide bonds. Hydrophobic side-chains are present in, e.g., poly(2-nonyl-2-oxazoline), poly(2-phenyl-2-oxazoline), and poly(2-phenyl-2-oxazine) as well as their congeners. The antimicrobial activity in PP-based compound plates will be discussed with special respect to the balance of cationic and hydrophobic functionalities in the biocidal polymers. The (antimicrobial) activity of compounds containing tungstate and molybdate polyanions will be correlated with zeta-potential measurements, which are caused by the net electrical charge contained within the region bounded by the slipping plane. As such, the zeta potential is often the only available path for the characterization of double-layer properties and can be used for the characterization of the composites.

Polypropylen-based blends and compounds with antimicrobial activity

2019 Spring National Meeting

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