Organic additives as antimicrobial agents in thermoplastics compounds

Development of polymers with antimicrobial characteristics can avoid deterioration and assist in containing spread of pathogens harmful to human health. This study aimed to compare the antimicrobial and mechanical properties of polymeric matrices containing organic antimicrobial additives. Silver organomodified bentonite (Ag_bentonite) and organochlorine molecule in a masterbatch based polyethylene (Cl_PE) were tested in proportion of 2% in a thermoplastic elastomeric formulation. The polymeric matrices were prepared by melt mixing and evaluated in tensile and antimicrobial properties against Staphylococcus aureus ( S. aureus ) and Escherichia coli ( E. coli) strains . The additives were characterized by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The nanoscale of Ag_bentonite was verified by SEM. TGA assay showed that Cl_PE is more sensitive to heat than Ag_bentonite. As a result of this lower thermal stability, the addition of Cl_PE reduced the tensile properties of the compound. The sample with Cl_PE was effective against both bacterial strains, reducing the populations of S. aureus and E. coli in 99 and 96%, respectively. The addition of Ag_bentonite did not affect the tensile strength and decreased in 97 and 40% S. aureus and E. coli populations, respectively. The results indicate that the use of organic additives is promissory, but further modifications in processing must be necessary.