Inhibition of Fungal Growth and Material Characteristics of PVC and Wood/PVC Composites Doped with Fungicides

Abstract

Two commercial fungicides, namely, 3-Iodopropinyl-N-butylcarbamate (IPBC) and Methylbenzimidazole-2-ylcarbamate (Carbendazim) were used to improve anti-fungal properties of poly (vinyl chloride) (PVC) and wood/PVC composite (WPVC) materials. Disk diffusion test and dry weight technique, using Aspergillus niger as a testing fungi, were employed for the anti-fungal assessments. The effects of type and content of fungicides on anti-fungal performances were discussed in association with material properties. For material property characterizations, flexural properties, surface contact angle and surface color changes were observed. The results from anti-fungal test by disk diffusion test revealed that addition of IPBC in PVC or WPVC showed much greater anti-fungal performance than that of Carbendazim in PVC or WPVC. The WPVC samples exhibited better anti-fungal performances than the PVC samples. It can be concluded that wood particles could promote the fungicidal effect of the WPVC composites. It was found that type and content of fungicides used did not significantly alter the flexural properties of the materials whereas the presence of wood resulted in an increase of flexural modulus with a decrease in flexural strength. The surface contact and color changes of PVC and WPVC were observed with addition of IPBC, but not found with Carbendazim.