Preparation and properties of antibacterial polyvinyl chloride

J.-Y. Lu, C. He, S.-Y. Wang, Z.-F. Lin, W.-F. Li

Department of Emergency, Changzheng Hospital, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, P. R. China. lwfang67@yahoo.com.cn

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• Pharmacology

BACKGROUND: Plastic products improve people’s daily life, but microorganisms attaching to plastic product surfaces present health hazards. Aim: Our study aimed to design a new kind of antibacterial plastic products to promote a higher quality of life.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Antibacterial polyvinyl chloride (PVC) composites were prepared using melt-blending. The antibacterial properties, mechanical properties, and optical transparencies of the PVC composites containing either silver-doped glass or silver-doped zirconium phosphate were studied, and the dispersal of these antibacterial agents throughout the PVC was also observed using scanning electron microscopy.

RESULTS: The results showed that the antibacterial agents were well-dispersed throughout the PVC matrix and that the antibacterial ratio of PVC-G against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus was over 99.0%, which was better than that of PVC-P. The antibacterial agents had little effect on the mechanical properties of the PVC; however, they decreased the optical transparency of PVC, and the transmittance of PVC-P was decreased by 28.3%.

CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that such kinds of antibacterial PVC composites have great potential in a wide variety of safer plastic applications.

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