Polyelectrolyte crosspolymers are a type of polymeric hydrogels widely utilized in personal care products. While they possess the ideal properties of suspension, shear thinning rheology and biocompatibility, they are not antimicrobial and are often susceptible to fouling. It has been demonstrated, however, that activated carbon (AC) is effective in preventing the growth and/or mobility of various pathogens. These studies explore the effect of incorporating coconut-based AC into different polymeric hydrogels on its antimicrobial mechanism of action, which would increase the longevity of personal care products. Initially, Carbopol® and Noveon Polycarbophil® hydrogels were synthesized at concentrations ranging from 0.1 to 0.5% w/v and neutralized to a pH of 4.5 or 6.5. Then, bacterial, parasitic, and viral tests were performed to compare AC’s antimicrobial capability within the hydrogels to previous studies in solution. Bacterial tests with AC against E. coli and S. aureus showed a decrease in activity in solution, however, when AC was incorporated into the hydrogels there was no observed effect. In parasitic testing, AC limited mobility of Euglena gracilis in solution, however, within the hydrogel network, no change in mobility was observed. Previous work has shown that AC inhibits viral activity, however, due to time constraints and difficulty in identifying appropriate testing methods, viral testing was not performed with hydrogels in these studies. These tests are preliminary and need to be modified in the future to determine if hydrogels are a feasible delivery system for AC.

Investigating the antimicrobial properties of activated carbon against bacteria, viruses, and parasites in polymeric hydrogels

ACS Spring 2022

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