The Influence of Poly (acrylic acid) Spacer Presence on Surface Properties of Medical-grade PVC Coated with Antibacterial Agents

The impact of poly (acrylic acid) (PAA) spacer on binding quality antimicrobial agents to medical-grade poly (vinyl chloride) (PVC) was addressed. This was studied using benzalkonium chloride and chlorhexidine surface-bound through two different pathways, post-plasma and post-PAA grafting. PAA spacer formation was fulfilled after plasma exposure by surface-initiated polymerization of to yield a brush of high density and thickness. Surface characterizations data suggested that post-PAA grafting supports a relatively superior binding and retains the structural integrity of the antibacterial agents molecules. Benzalkonium chloride coated on PAA brush-like spacer offered the minimum adhesion of the gram-negative bacterial strain compared to the post-plasma coated one. This was also found as for chlorhexidine, where post-PAA grafting could deliver a reduced adherence of both gram-positive and gram-negative bacterial strains, while the post-plasma chlorhexidine coated surface was only effective to the latter strain. It was then established that post-PAA grafting is the preferred way of bioactive entities attachment since it can streamline the binding step.

کلیدواژه ها:

polyvinyl chloride ، polymer brush ، benzalkonium chloride ، chlorhexidine ، plasma treatment