Discipline: Chemistry and Chemical Sciences
Subcategory: Chemistry (not Biochemistry)
Yariann M. Cardona - Universidad del Turabo
Co-Author(s): Dalia Huguet, Francisco J. Rivera Figueroa, and Ileana González-González, Universidad del Turabo, Gurabo, Puerto Rico
Inspired by natural surfaces, such as plant leaves, fish scale, and spider silk, numerous hydrophobic surfaces have been extensively developed over the past decade. By combining the hydrophobic properties of a polymeric material and the antibacterial properties of known metallic species we create a novel antibacterial material that is useful for a wide variety of applications. The extensive use of synthetic polymeric materials in health and biomedical, food, textile, packaging, and personal hygiene industries thus demands incorporation of biocidal compounds. To achieve this we have organized this research project in two main objectives: the synthesis of antibacterial (Ag, Cu, Au)/PTBAM nanofibers and to test its antibacterial activity against two microorganisms (Gram-negative Escherichia coli and Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus). The metallic nanofibers have been synthesized by radical mediated dispersion polymerization. The morphology and chemical compositions of the as-fabricated surfaces were characterized by X-ray diffraction and thermogravimetric analysis. Bacterial growth rates were measured by monitoring the optical density at 600 nm (OD600) using a spectrophotometer measuring every 20 minutes for 4 hours. The diameters of inhibition from the modified Kirby Bauer test range from 7mm to 12mm. It was found that the embedded polymer had a 2 wt % of metal content. In conclusion, (Au, Cu, Ag)/PTBAM exhibited antibacterial activity against both Gram-negative E. coli and Gram-positive S. aureus based on the microbial properties of the metals embedded in the PTBAM substrate. Further characterization of the material by XPS, ICP-OES and ATR FT-IR will be done. The use of other polymers to compare and optimize antimicrobial material will be done.
References: 1. V. Sambhy, M. M. MacBride, B. R. Peterson, A. Sen, Silver Bromide Nanoparticle/Polymer Composites: Dual Action Tunable Antimicrobial Materials. Journal of the American Chemical Society 128, 9798-9808 (2006).
2. S. Voccia, M. Ignatova, R. Jérôme, C. Jérôme, Design of Antibacterial Surfaces by a Combination of Electrochemistry and Controlled Radical Polymerization. Langmuir 22, 8607-8613 (2006).
3. J. Song, H. Kang, C. Lee, S. H. Hwang, J. Jang, Aqueous Synthesis of Silver Nanoparticle Embedded Cationic Polymer Nanofibers and Their Antibacterial Activity. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces 4, 460-465 (2012).
Funder Acknowledgement(s): The authors want to acknowledge the Molecular Science and Research Center for the usage of TGA. Y. C. and I. G. acknowledge the support of UT-DOE Samuel P. Massie Chair of Excellence DE-NA0000672.
Faculty Advisor: Ileana Gonzalez-Gonzalez,