Antimicrobial Performance of Thermoplastic Elastomers Containing Zinc Pyrithione and Silver Nanoparticles

Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the antimicrobial potential of styrene-ethylene/ butylene-styrene based thermoplastic elastomers (TPE) incorporated with zinc pyrithione (ZnPT) and silver nanoparticles (AgNano). Japan Industrial Standard was applied to evaluate the antimicrobial potential of incorporated TPE compounds against Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and Escherichia coli (E. coli). Antifungal action was evaluated against Aspergillus niger, Candida albicans and Cladosporium cladosporioides. Samples prepared with ZnPT eliminated 99.9% of the E. coli and 99.7 % of the S. aureus population, and presented an inhibition zone in the fungal assay. Samples prepared with AgNano eliminated 99.7% of the E. coli and 95.5 % of the S. aureus population. There was no inhibition zone in samples containing AgNano; however, these samples did not present fungal growth on their surfaces. TPE samples containing ZnPT showed biocidal activity against the microorganisms tested and can be used to develop antimicrobial products.

Synthesis and Effect of Hierarchically Structured Ag-ZnO Hybrid on the Surface Antibacterial Activity of a Propylene-Based Elastomer Blends

“…The thick peptidoglycan cell wall of Gram-positive bacteria protects its cell from silver penetration while Gramm-negative bacteria lack this protection [ 60 , 61 ]. Similar effect of the cell wall may apply for the case of Zn 2+ ions as well as for ROS action [ 56 , 57 , 62 ].…”

Antifungal and Photocatalytic Activity of Smart Paint Containing Porous Microspheres of TiO2

“…The antifungal activity of titanium dioxide has been studied extensively [33][34][35][36] . However, most previous studies carried out with immobilized photocatalysts involve surfaces coated with TiO 2 films 37-40 and only a few authors report the antifungal activity of photocatalytic paint 8,26,41,42 . To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of the antifungal properties of paint containing mesoporous microspheres of TiO 2 evaluated using Monascus ruber as the representative microorganism.…”

“…Fungi are generally considered the principal microflora on painted surfaces and they can enhance the paint degradation 25,26 . Moreover, they can live on the surface dirt or utilize the underlying substrate, causing allergies, respiratory symptoms, asthma, and serious health effects in people with suppressed immune systems 27 .…”

Elastomers with biocidal properties. Part 1. Literature review

“…Jednym z celów strategicznych ograniczania zjawiska antybiotykooporności (oporności na antybiotyki) jest zmniejszenie liczby zakażeń i zapobieganie im na drodze odpowiednich procedur sanitarnych, higienicznych i profilaktycznych [45]. W wypadku infekcji szpitalnych bakterie są często roznoszone na rękach personelu [4,7,24,51,52]. Inne przyczyny zakażeń szpitalnych to m.in.…”