Properties of poly(lactic acid-co-glycolic acid) film modified by blending with polyurethane

A number of poly(lactic acid-co-glycolic acid)/polyurethane (PLGA/PU) blend films with various PU mole contents were prepared by casting the polymer blend solution in chloroform. The surface morphologies of the PLGA/PU blend films were studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The thermal, mechanical and chemical properties of the PLGA/PU blend films were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), tensile tests and surface contact angle tests. The results revealed that the introduction of PU could markedly modify the properties of PLGA films.     

聚乙烯醇/单宁共混膜的制备及其抗菌性能

采用溶液共混浇膜法制备了不同单宁含量的聚乙烯醇/单宁共混膜材料,利用扫描电镜(SEM)、广角X-射线衍射(WAXD)及示差扫描量热分析(DSC)对共混膜的结构进行了表征.结果表明,单宁和聚乙烯醇具有良好的相容性,聚乙烯醇的结晶能力及熔点均随单宁的加入量增大而稍降低.少量戊二醛的轻度交联作用使单宁在共混膜中非常稳定,在水中浸泡24 h后也仅有不到1.8%的单宁(相对膜中单宁总质量)渗出.接触法抗菌试验表明,所制备的共混膜对大肠杆菌(E.coli,CMCC 44103)、金黄色葡萄球菌(S.aureus,ATCC6538)和表皮葡萄球菌(S.epidermidis,ATCC 12228)都具有良好的抗菌能力,且随着单宁含量的升高而增强.     

Preparation, structure and properties of porous polyimide films via PAA/PU alloy

A new route to porous polyimide (PI) films with pore sizes in the nanometer regime was developed. A polyamic acid (PAA)/polyurethane (PU) blend with PU as the disperse phase was first prepared via in situ polymerization of pyromellitic dianhydride and 4,4-oxydianiline in PU solutions. Porous PI films were obtained from PAA/PU films by thermolysis of PU at 360°C and imidization of PAA at 300°C, respectively. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and thermal gravimetric analysis were used to detect the imidization and thermolysis processes of PAA/PU blends under thermal treatment. The microporous structure of the PI films was observed by transmission electron microscopy. It was found that the size and content of pores increased with an increase in the PU mass fraction in the PAA/PU blend up to 20%. Because of the existence of nanopores, the dielectric constant of PI films decreased by a wide margin and was less than 2.0 at a PU mass fraction of 20%. It implies that this is an effective means to reduce the dielectric constant of PI, but it also causes the decrease of tensile strength and the rise of water absorption. Translated from Chemistry Journal of Chinese Universities 2006, 27(1): (in Chinese)     

Preparation and properties of antibacterial ABS plastics based on polymeric quaternary phosphonium salts antibacterial agents

Antibacterial acrylonitrile‐butadiene‐styrene (ABS) plastics were prepared by adding polymeric quaternary phosphonium salts as antibacterial agents through a double screw extruder. The novel polymeric quaternary phosphonium salts (PBrMAP‐n) with alkyl chain length ranging from 3 to 11 were synthesized, and their chemical structures were confirmed by Nuclear magnetic resonance hydrogen spectroscopy (¹H‐NMR) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT‐IR) spectra. The thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) results showed that all of the antibacterial agents had good thermal stability. The influence of addition amount as well as the alkyl chain length on mechanical properties and antibacterial properties was investigated. Compared with the pure ABS, all of PBrMAP‐n containing specimens had comparable tensile strength and flexural properties but reduced impact strength. Only samples with 10 wt% of PBrMAP‐11 exhibited more than 90% antibacterial efficiency against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus.     

Cornstarch/Poly(vinyl alcohol) Biocomposite Blend Films: Mechanical Properties,Thermal Behavior,Fire Retardancy,and Antibacterial Activity

In the present study, biocomposite films of starch/poly(vinyl alcohol) (St/PVA) reinforced with delignified Grewia optiva fiber and methyl methacrylate (MMA) grafted fibers were prepared using citric acid as a plasticizer and glutaraldehyde as the cross-linker. The biocomposite films were subjected to evaluation of mechanical properties, biodegradability, and antibacterial properties. The biocomposite films were characterized by using Fourier transform-infrared (FT-IR) spectrophotometry, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA/DTA/DTG). SEM showed good adhesion between St/PVA blend matrix and fibers. The antimicrobial activity of biocomposite films against pathogenic bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli was also explored. The results confirmed that the biocomposite films may be used for food packaging.     

Synthesis and characterization of poly(urethane‐benzoxazine) films as novel type of polyurethane/phenolic resin composites

Poly(urethane‐benzoxazine) films as novel polyurethane ( PU )/phenolic resin composites were prepared by blending a benzoxazine monomer ( Ba ) and PU prepolymer that was synthesized from 2,4‐tolylene diisocyanate (TDI) and polyethylene adipate polyol (MW ca. 1000) in 2 : 1 molar ratio. DSC of PU/Ba blend showed an exotherm with maximum at ca. 246 °C due to the ring‐opening polymerization of Ba, giving phenolic OH functionalities that react with isocyanate groups in the PU prepolymer. The poly(urethane‐benzoxazine) films obtained by thermal cure were transparent, with color ranging from yellow to pale wine with increase of Ba content. All the films have only one glass transition temperature (T_g ) from viscoelastic measurements, indicating no phase separation in poly(urethane‐benzoxazine) due to in situ polymerization. The T_g increased with the increase of Ba content. The films containing 10 and 15% of Ba have characteristics of an elastomer, with elongation at break at 244 and 182%, respectively. These elastic films exhibit good resilience with excellent reinstating behavior. The films containing more than 20% of Ba have characteristics of plastics. The poly(urethane‐benzoxazine) films showed excellent resistance to the solvents such as tetrahydrofuran, N,N‐dimethyl formamide, and N‐methyl‐2‐pyrrolidinone that easily dissolve PU s. Thermal stability of PU was greatly enhanced even with the incorporation of a small amount of Ba . © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 38: 4165–4176, 2000     

PREPARATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF SOLUBLE EGGSHELL MEMBRANE PROTEIN/CHITOSAN BLEND FILMS

Biopolymer chitosan was used to modify the mechanical properties of soluble eggshell membrane protein(SEP) films.The SEP/chitosan blend films were prepared by solution casting from 10%aqueous acetic acid.Tensile strength and elongation at break of the blend films increased with increasing amount of chitosan.Microphase separation was observed by field emission scanning electron microscopy,although interaction between the two components was revealed by FTIR.The biocompatibility of SEP/chitosan blend films ...     

载银离子PLGA-PEG-PLGA温度敏感水凝胶的制备及体外抗菌性能

利用聚乙二醇(PEG 1000)引发乙交酯和 D,L-丙交酯开环共聚合, 制备了聚丙交酯乙交酯(PLGA)三嵌段共聚物(PLGA-PEG-PLGA)温敏水凝胶材料; 利用核磁共振氢谱( ¹H NMR)确定了产物的结构及组成. 通过还原硝酸银的方法制备银纳米粒子(AgNPs), 并将其与PLGA-PEG-PLGA三嵌段共聚物水凝胶混合, 制得新型AgNPs/PLGA-PEG-PLGA复合水凝胶; 对该复合水凝胶的相关性能进行了表征. AgNPs/PLGA-PEG-PLGA复合水凝胶仍然具有温敏性能, 随着温度升高可发生溶胶-凝胶的相转变; 还可以持续释放银纳米粒子, 从而发挥抗菌性能. 体外细胞实验结果表明, AgNPs/PLGA-PEG-PLGA复合水凝胶具有良好的生物相容性, 未见明显细胞毒性, 是具有应用前景的新型复合水凝胶.     

Preparation and antibacterial activity of hybrid materials containing quaternary ammonium salts via sol-gel process

Organic-inorganic hybrid coatings containing quaternary ammonium salts (QAS) bonded to the organic-inorganic network were prepared from tetraethoxysilane and triethoxysilane terminated poly(ethylene glycol)-block-poly(ethylene) using a sol-gel process. They were applied as a thin layer (0.6-1 μm) to PE films and the antibacterial activity of the coated films was tested against both Gram-negative (Escherichia coli ATCC 25922) and Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 6538) bacteria. Measurements at different contact times showed a rapid decrease of the viable count for both the tested strains. In particular, after 48 h of contact, a decrease of 96.4% and 99.1% of E. coli and S. aureus, respectively, was observed. The permanence of the antibacterial activity of the coated films was demonstrated through repeated washings and prolonged immersion in physiological saline solutions at 37 °C. Indeed, due to the removal of QAS moieties by the nucleophilic attack of water, the antibacterial activity after 24 h was strongly reduced when measured on samples submitted to several washings. However, a quite good antibacterial activity was observed even on the same samples after 96 h, probably due to a spontaneous partial restoring of the QAS on the surface. Very good transparency, quite good adhesion and high wettability are further features of these hybrid coatings.     

Bacterial adhesion inhibition of the quaternary ammonium functionalized silica nanoparticles

Quaternary ammonium compounds have been considered as excellent antibacterial agents due to their effective biocidal activity, long term durability and environmentally friendly performance. In this work, 3-(trimethoxysilyl)-propyldimethyloctadecylammonium chloride as a quaternary ammonium silane was applied for the surface modification of silica nanoparticles. The quaternary ammonium silane provided silica surface with hydrophobicity and antibacterial properties. In addition, the glass surface which was coated with the surface modified silica nanoparticles presented bacterial growth inhibition activity. For comparison of bacterial growth resistance, hydrophobic silane (alkyl functionalized silane) modified silica nanoparticles and pristine silica nanoparticles were prepared. As a result of bacterial adhesion test, the quaternary ammonium functionalized silica nanoparticles exhibited the enhanced inhibition performance against growth of Gram-negative Escherichia coli (96.6%), Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus (98.5%) and Deinococcus geothermalis (99.6%) compared to pristine silica nanoparticles. These bacteria resistances also were stronger than that of hydrophobically modified silica nanoparticles. It could be explained that the improved bacteria inhibition performance originated from the synergistic effect of hydrophobicity and antibacterial property of quaternary ammonium silane. Additionally, the antimicrobial efficacy of the fabricated nanoparticles increased with decreasing size of the nanoparticles.     

Synthesis and antibacterial activities of water‐soluble methacrylate polymers containing quaternary ammonium compounds

New water‐soluble methacrylate polymers with pendant quaternary ammonium (QA) groups were synthesized and used as antibacterial materials. The polymers with pendant QA groups were obtained by the reaction of the alkyl halide groups of a previously synthesized functional methacrylate homopolymer with various tertiary alkyl amines containing 12‐, 14‐, or 16‐carbon alkyl chains. The structures of the functional polymer and the polymers with QA groups were confirmed with Fourier transform infrared and ¹H and ¹³C NMR. The degree of conversion of alkyl halides to QA sites in each polymer was determined by ¹H NMR to be over 90% in all cases. The number‐average molecular weight and polydispersity of the functional polymer were determined by size exclusion chromatography to be 32,500 g/mol and 2.25, respectively. All polymers were thermally stable up to 180 °C according to thermogravimetric analysis. The antibacterial activities of the polymers with pendant QA groups against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli were determined with broth‐dilution and spread‐plate methods. All the polymers showed excellent antibacterial activities in the range of 32–256 μg/mL. The antibacterial activity against S. aureus increased with an increase in the alkyl chain length for the ammonium groups, whereas the antibacterial activity against E. coli decreased with increasing alkyl chain length. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 5965–5973, 2006     

Synthesis of pyridinium N-chloramines for antibacterial applications

To develop more efficacious antibacterial agents, a new type of cationic N-chloramines that contain a pyridinium moiety and a N-chloramine moiety covalently linked via an alkyl chain were prepared and characterized. Preliminary assays indicated that 1) the compound with a propylidene linker exhibited higher antibacterial activity than the quaternary ammonium counterpart; 2) the chain length of the alkyl linker had major effects on their biocidal properties. Our results may inspire exploration of more pyridinium N-chloramines for antibacterial applications.     

Effects of ethyl and benzyl groups on the miscibility and properties of castor oil-based polyurethane/starch derivative semi-interpenetrating polymer networks

Cornstarch derivative (ES), prepared using diethyl sulfate as an etherifying reagent, was blended with castor oil-based polyurethane (PU) prepolymer to obtain a series of semi-interpenetrating polymer network (semi-IPN) materials, named as UES films. Simultaneously, other kinds of semi-IPN (UBS2) were prepared from PU and benzyl starch (BS2) to compare the effects of the substitute groups. The differences in the miscibility and properties of the two series of materials were investigated using attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, dynamic mechanical thermal analysis, ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, water-sensitivity and tensile testing. The experimental results revealed that UBS2 films exhibit stronger interfacial attraction and better phase mixing than the UES films, as a result of specific interactions between the PU hard segments and BS2 phenyl groups. The optical transmittance, water-resistivity, tensile strength, and elongation at break of the UBS2 films were clearly higher than those of the UES films containing the same concentration of PU. In particular, the miscibility and properties of the UES film with 40 wt.-% ES, were very poor, whereas the semi-IPN films containing 70 wt.-% benzyl starch still had a certain miscibility and good properties. Therefore, the phenyl groups play an important role in the improvement of the miscibility and properties of the semi-IPN materials.     

Engineering quaternized chitosan in the 3D bacterial cellulose structure for antibacterial wound dressings

Balancing antibacterial properties with biocompatibility is of paramount importance for wound dressings loaded with antibacterial agents. In this work, a water soluble antibacterial agent, quaternized chitosan (hydroxypropyltrimethyl ammonium chloride chitosan, HACC) with an appropriate degree of substitution was introduced into the bacterial cellulose (BC) network by adding it into the BC culture medium. Results indicated that the addition of HACC could affect the yield of BC, porous structure, thermal stability, water absorption and antibacterial properties. HBC-1 with a low content of HACC (13.65 ± 0.30%) cannot inhibit the biofilm formation of bacteria, while HBC-3 with a high content of HACC (62.05 ± 0.90%) has a low yield of BC and confused structure. HBC-2 with an optimum concentration of HACC (37.33 ± 0.80%) possessed a typical porous structure, acceptable thermal stability, good water absorption and favorable antibacterial properties against Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus, ATCC 25923) and methicillin-resistant S. aureus (ATCC 43300). Most importantly, none of the HACC/BC films exhibited cytotoxicity to NIH3T3 cells. We believe that obtained HACC/BC films with favorable bactericidal properties and biocompatibility could be potential candidates for wound dressings in clinical applications.     

Preparation and characterization of polyvinyl alcohol/β‐cyclodextrin/GO‐Ag nanocomposite with improved antibacterial and strength properties

In this work, new hydrogel films based on polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and β‐cyclodextrin (β‐CD) were prepared with the aim of studying their ability as an antibacterial and drug carrier system. Gallic acid (GA) was used as an antibacterial drug which was encapsulated into the β‐CD cavity, and finally, β‐CD inclusion complex (GA/βCD‐IC) was prepared. On the other hand, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were synthesized on the graphene oxide (GO) surface (GO‐Ag), and the obtained GO‐Ag was used to enhance the antibacterial properties and mechanical strength of their films. FT‐IR and DSC analysis approved the formation of cross‐linking with glutaraldehyde between the PVA and β‐CD. Hydrogel films were characterized using XRD and SEM. The disc diffusion method showed the antibacterial activity for the films containing GO‐Ag and GA. Due to the good strength, elasticity, WVP, and swelling ability, PVA/GA/βCD‐IC/GO‐Ag can be proposed as a potential antibacterial drug delivery system.     

Antimicrobial Effect and Cytotoxic Evaluation of Mg-Doped Hydroxyapatite Functionalized with Au-Nano Rods

Hydroxyapatite (HA) is the main inorganic mineral that constitutes bone matrix and represents the most used biomaterial for bone regeneration. Over the years, it has been demonstrated that HA exhibits good biocompatibility, osteoconductivity, and osteoinductivity both in vitro and in vivo, and can be prepared by synthetic and natural sources via easy fabrication strategies. However, its low antibacterial property and its fragile nature restricts its usage for bone graft applications. In this study we functionalized a MgHA scaffold with gold nanorods (AuNRs) and evaluated its antibacterial effect against S. aureus and E. coli in both suspension and adhesion and its cytotoxicity over time (1 to 24 days). Results show that the AuNRs nano-functionalization improves the antibacterial activity with 100% bacterial reduction after 24 h. The toxicity study, however, indicates a 4.38-fold cell number decrease at 24 days. Although further optimization on nano-functionalization process are needed for cytotoxicity, these data indicated that Au-NRs nano-functionalization is a very promising method for improving the antibacterial properties of HA.     

Toughening of polylactide by melt blending with a biodegradable poly(ether)urethane elastomer

Melt blending of polylactide (PLA) and a biodegradable poly(ether)urethane (PU) elastomer has been performed in an effort to toughen the polylactide without compromising its biodegradability and biocompatibility. The miscibility, phase morphology, mechanical properties, and toughening mechanism of the blend were investigated. The blend was found by dynamic mechanical analysis to be a partially miscible system with shifted glass transition temperatures. The PU elastomer was dispersed in the PLA matrix with a domain size of sub-micrometer scale. The addition of PU elastomer not only accelerated the crystallization speed, but also decreased the crystallinity of the PLA. With an increase in PU content, the blend shows decreased tensile strength and modulus; however, the elongation at break and the impact strength were significantly increased, indicating the toughening effects of the PU elastomer on the PLA. The brittle fracture of neat PLA was gradually transformed into ductile fracture by the addition of PU elastomer. It was found that the PLA matrix demonstrates large area, plastic deformation (shear yielding) in the blend upon being subjected the tensile and impact tests, which is an important energy-dissipation process and leads to a toughened, biodegradable polymer blend.     

Synthesis of polyesters having quaternary ammonium groups in the side chains and preparation of their blends with poly(vinyl alcohol)

Triethyl-2,3-propanediolammonium chloride (TPC) was prepared and used for the preparation of polyester and copolyesters having quaternary ammonium groups in the side chains. The polycondensation of isophthaloyl dichloride with TPC and other dihydroxy compounds was performed by the organic phase/organic phase interfacial polycondensation method using N,N-dimethylacetamide/n-heptane or trimethyl phosphate/n-heptane as reaction media in the presence of tetramethyl ethylenediamine. Blend films were prepared from these polyesters and poly(vinyl alcohol) by casting from aqueous or aqueous NaOH solution. The electrical conductivity of the blend films is remarkably affected by the moisture content and in the order of 10^?5 ～ 10^?8 S/cm in the presence of moisture. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Synthesis and antibacterial activity of emodin and its derivatives against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus

Synthesis of the antibacterial emodin was improved using Friedel-Crafts acylation as a key step leading to 37% overall yield. In addition, 21 analogues were synthesized by structural modification of the hydroxyl and methyl groups, as well as the aromatic ring of emodin. Antibacterial activity against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and cytotoxicity against noncancerous Vero cells were evaluated. A structure-activity relationship (SAR) study indicated that the hydroxyl groups and the methyl group in the emodin skeleton were crucial for anti-MRSA activity. Furthermore, the presence of an iodine atom or ethylamino group on the aromatic ring enhanced the anti-MRSA activity with higher selectivity indices, while derivatives containing bromine, chlorine atoms or quaternary ammonium salt were as active as emodin. The quaternary ammonium group on the aromatic ring also led to non-cytotoxicity against Vero cells.     

Novel method for the preparation of poly(urethane–imide)s and their properties

A polymer blend consisting of polyimide (PI) and polyurethane (PU) was prepared by means of a novel approach. PU prepolymer was prepared by the reaction of polyester polyol and 2,4-tolylenediisocyanate (2,4-TDI) and then end-capped with phenol. Poly(amide acid) was prepared from pyromellitic dianhydride (PMDA) and oxydianiline (ODA). A series of oligo(amide acid)s were also prepared by controlling the molar ratio of PMDA and ODA. The PU prepolymer and poly(amide acid) or oligo(amide acid) solution were blended at room temperature in various weight ratios. The cast films were obtained from the blend solution and treated at various temperatures. With the increase of polyurethane component, the films changed from plastic to brittle and then to elastic. The poly(urethane–imide) elastomers showed excellent mechanical properties and moderate thermal stability. The elongation of films with elasticity was more than 300%. The elongation set after the breaking of films was small. From the dynamic mechanical analysis, all the samples showed a glass transition temperature (T_g) at ca. −15°C, corresponding to T_g of the urethane component, suggesting that phase separation occurred between the two polymer components, irrespective of polyimide content. TGA and DSC studies indicated that the thermal degradation of poly(urethane–imide) was in the temperature range 250–270°C. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 35: 3745–3753, 1997