RSN Sahai, Mohammed Wasim Khan, Ankur Jadhav, Manju Sharma
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
Antimicrobial hybrid polymer composites are developed for application in floating solar power plants. To avoid the degradation of the floater because of microbes living in the water as well as possible biofouling, zinc oxide (ZnO) is used as an antimicrobial agent, varying the weight percent (1, 2, and 3 wt%) within the high-density polyethylene (HDPE) matrix, along with carbon black (CB) as a reinforcing agent (1, 1.5, 2, and 2.5 wt%). Escherichia coli (facultative anaerobic) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (aerobic-facultatively anaerobic) gram-negative bacteria formed a biofilm on HDPE in a 96-well plate for 5 days. In vitro, biofilm formation was determined by measuring absorbance (A420) in crystal violet dye, and the colony-forming unit (CFU) was determined by the spread plating technique. The biofilm formation and disruption are observed through a scanning electron microscope (SEM), where both the CFU and the SEM revealed uniform formation of biofilm onto neat HDPE. The best performance in terms of reduced biofilm formation and biofouling onto HDPE floaters was achieved for E. coli (ZnO: 2 wt% and CB: 2 wt%), whereas for Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ZnO: 3 wt% and CB: 2 wt%). Application of greener polymers and nanoparticles for future studies is highly recommended.
期刊介绍:
Polymers from Renewable Resources, launched in 2010, publishes leading peer reviewed research that is focused on the development of renewable polymers and their application in the production of industrial, consumer, and medical products. The progressive decline of fossil resources, together with the ongoing increases in oil prices, has initiated an increase in the search for alternatives based on renewable resources for the production of energy. The prevalence of petroleum and carbon based chemistry for the production of organic chemical goods has generated a variety of initiatives aimed at replacing fossil sources with renewable counterparts. In particular, major efforts are being conducted in polymer science and technology to prepare macromolecular materials based on renewable resources. Also gaining momentum is the utilisation of vegetable biomass either by the separation of its components and their development or after suitable chemical modification. This journal is a valuable addition to academic, research and industrial libraries, research institutions dealing with the use of natural resources and materials science and industrial laboratories concerned with polymer science.