Abstract
The scope of optical sensors and scanners in aquatic media, fluids, and medical diagnostics has been limited by paucity of transparent shielding materials with antifouling potential. In this research endeavor, facile synthesis, characterization, and bioassay of antifouling transparent functional copolymers are reported. Copolymers of 3-sulfopropyl methacrylate (SPMA) and methyl methacrylate (MMA) were synthesized by free radical polymerization in various proportions. Samples PSM20, PSM30, PSM40, PSM50, and PSM60 contain 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%, and 60% SPMA by weight, respectively. Resultant products were characterized by FTIR and 1H-NMR spectroscopy. The synthesized copolymers have exhibited excellent transparency, i.e., 75% to 88%, as determined by the UV-Vis spectroscopic analysis. Transmittance was decreased from 6% to 2% in these copolymers upon changing the concentration of 3-sulfopropyl methacrylate from 20% to 50% owing to bacterial and algal biofilm formation. Water contact angle values were ranged from 18° to 63° and decreased with the increase in the polarity of copolymers. The surface energy lowest value 58 mJ/m2 and highest value 72 mJ/m2 were calculated for PSM20 and PSM50, respectively, by the Chibowski approach and Young equation. Sample PSM50 has exhibited the highest antibacterial activities, i.e., 18 mm and 19 mm, against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus, respectively, by the disk diffusion method. Copolymer PSM50 has shown minimum algal adhesion for Dictyosphaerium algae as observed by optical microscopy. This lower bacterial and algal adhesion is attributed to higher concentrations of anionic SPMA monomer that cause electrostatic repulsion between functional groups of the polymer and microorganisms. Thus, the resultant PSM50 product has exhibited good potential for optronics shielding application in aquatic medium and medical diagnostics.
Highlights
Biofouling is an undesirable growth of different types of microorganisms at a material surface that causes various problems including deterioration of polymeric materials, corrosion of metals, and decline in equipment efficiency [1]
Many studies have been taken in this regard among which Ahmed et al, which have done grafting of poly-3-sulfopropyl methacrylate (PSPMA) onto carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) via free radical polymerization technique, have reported 3:1 ± 1:2 antibacterial activity [24]
In the Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) spectrum of PSPMA, the band at 2960 cm-1 was due to C−H asymmetric stretching vibration [36] while absorption at 2897 cm-1 was assigned to C−H symmetric stretching vibration [37]
Summary
Biofouling is an undesirable growth of different types of microorganisms at a material surface that causes various problems including deterioration of polymeric materials, corrosion of metals, and decline in equipment efficiency [1]. Around 80–95% of hospital-acquired urinary tract infections originate from urinary catheters [13] This is even more relevant taking into account the ongoing COVID-19 situation, where materials and surfaces are susceptible to attachment of harmful species, and indicates the importance of the transparent antifouling polymers in healthcare applications. Free radical polymerization is a vital technique for the synthesis of macromolecules and consistent with a wide range of functional groups, which are not compatible with metal-catalyzed and ionic polymerization [15]. It is initiated by using several initiators like ammonium persulfate, potassium persulfate, and azobisisobutyronitrile [16]. Surface modification and incorporation of nanoparticles were done using 3-sulfopropyl methacrylate monomer, and antifouling properties were studied but not primarily focused on their transparency
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