Synthesis and performance study of novel antibacterial and anticorrosive polyurethane IPN

Abstract

Polyaniline has been extensively used for the corrosion protection of polymeric materials. However, there have been few studies on its combined antimicrobial activity when used in combination with silver molybdate. In this study, we synthesized silver molybdate (Ag2MoO4) crystals using a homogeneous precipitation method. Polyaniline-dodecylbenzenesulfonic acid/castor oil(PANI-DBSA/CO) mixtures were prepared in an encapsulated state by in situ polymerisation. Subsequently, PANI/Ag2MoO4-PU interpenetrating polymer network(IPN) composite coatings(P/A-PU) were produced by dispersing Ag2MoO4 and PANI-DBSA/CO in polyurethane using ultrasonic dispersion. The composite coatings were characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy(FTIR), X-ray diffraction analysis(XRD), and transmission electron microscopy(TEM). The study confirmed that composite coatings with uniformly dispersed nanoparticles of PANI and Ag2MoO4 encapsulated by CO and epoxy resin E-44 grease exhibit improved physico-mechanical characteristics. The research also evaluated the effect of nanoparticles on the corrosion behaviour of the coatings using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and kinetic potential polarisation experiments. The study investigated the antimicrobial properties of P/A-PU composite coatings on Escherichia coli(E.coli) and Staphylococcus aureus(S.aureus) by conducting bacterial growth curves, protein leakage, and fluorescence staining experiments. The aim was to establish a causal connection between the coated surfaces and the observed antimicrobial properties. The study demonstrated that incorporating IPN of polyaniline polyurethane into the coating composites improved their anticorrosive properties. Furthermore, the addition of silver molybdate at a mass ratio of 0.3 % resulted in a remarkable 99 % antimicrobial activity against E.coli and S.aureus.