Antimicrobial polycarbonates for biomedical applications

Sergiy P Rogalsky,Olena V Moshynets,Oksana P Tarasyuk,Lyudmila G Lyoshina

doi:10.1186/1878-5085-5-s1-a133

Abstract

BackgroundPolycarbonate (PC) is one of the most widely used engi-neering polymers due to its unusual combination of opti-cal clarity, heat resistance,high impact strength anddimensional stability over wide thermal range [1]. Lowwater absorption, ease of sterilization and biocompatibilityof PC have led to its use in a wide range of medical equip-ment, including critical medical devices [2]. The preven-tion of biofilm formation on the internal medical devicesis of great importance since it can initiate a degradationprocess of the material, as well as cause infections andhealth related problems [3]. In order to obtain antimicro-bial properties, polymers are usually compounded withorganic or inorganic biocides [4,5]. However, the use oforganic biocides as additives for PC is significantly limiteddue to their insufficient thermal stability in the tempera-ture range used for PC processing (300 – 320 °C).The aimof research was to develop novel low toxic biocides forPC having sufficient thermal stability for the joint meltprocessing with PC resin.Materials and methodsTwo kinds of potential antimicrobial additives for PC havebeen synthesized: imidazolium and guanidinium ionenes,as well as imidazolium based ionic liquids. PC films con-taining from 1 to 10 wt% of biocides were prepared by sol-vent casting or by compression molding methods. Thethermal stability of novel biocides as well as modified PCwas investigated by using thermogravimetric analysis(TGA). Antimicrobial testing of PC composites were per-formed using a model bacteriaPseudomonas fluorescensSBW25 with a help of classical microbiological methodsfor bacterial suspension as well as a live-dead assay forbiofilms [6].ResultsAccording to TGA data, the thermal stability of PC sam-ples containing biocidal additives was found to be in therange of 350-425

Highlights

Polycarbonate (PC) is one of the most widely used engineering polymers due to its unusual combination of optical clarity, heat resistance, high impact strength and dimensional stability over wide thermal range [1]
PC films containing from 1 to 10 wt% of biocides were prepared by solvent casting or by compression molding methods
The thermal stability of novel biocides as well as modified PC was investigated by using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA)

Summary

Introduction

Polycarbonate (PC) is one of the most widely used engineering polymers due to its unusual combination of optical clarity, heat resistance, high impact strength and dimensional stability over wide thermal range [1]. Ease of sterilization and biocompatibility of PC have led to its use in a wide range of medical equipment, including critical medical devices [2]. The prevention of biofilm formation on the internal medical devices is of great importance since it can initiate a degradation process of the material, as well as cause infections and health related problems [3]. In order to obtain antimicrobial properties, polymers are usually compounded with organic or inorganic biocides [4,5]. The use of organic biocides as additives for PC is significantly limited due to their insufficient thermal stability in the temperature range used for PC processing (300 – 320 °C). The aim of research was to develop novel low toxic biocides for PC having sufficient thermal stability for the joint melt processing with PC resin

Methods

Results

Conclusion