Roles and evidence of wood flour as an antibacterial promoter for triclosan-filled poly(lactic acid)
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Author list: Prapruddivongs C., Sombatsompop N.
Publisher: Elsevier
Publication year: 2012
Journal: Composites Part B: Engineering (1359-8368)
Volume number: 43
Issue number: 7
Start page: 2730
End page: 2737
Number of pages: 8
ISSN: 1359-8368
eISSN: 1879-1069
Languages: English-Great Britain (EN-GB)
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Abstract
Mechanical and antibacterial performances of poly(lactic acid) (PLA) were assessed as a function of triclosan and wood fillers under a wide range of contact times using Gram-negative Escherichia coli (E. coli, ATCC 25922) as testing bacteria. Water contact angle (WCA) measurement, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) were performed to characterize the PLA, its blend with triclosan, and its composite with wood filler, and used to substantiate the antibacterial performance results. The experimental results suggested that introduction of wood flour changed the mechanical properties of PLA, whereas triclosan had no definite effect on the mechanical properties. E. coli growth appeared to increase with contact time for PLA, but to decrease with contact time for the wood/PLA composites. Based on the results and quantitative evidence, it was proposed that the wood flour acted as an "antibacterial promoter" for triclosan blended wood/PLA composites, which facilitated triclosan migration onto the wood/PLA composite surfaces to kill the bacteria. The molecular interactions between PLA, triclosan and wood were quantitatively characterized experimentally by CAM, DSC and FTIR. The change in hydrophilicity by the presence of wood filler was found to be the main reason for the improved antibacterial activity of triclosan in the wood/PLA composites. ฉ 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Keywords
A. Polymer-matrix composites (PMCs), B. Mechanical properties, D. Thermal analysis, E. Extrusion
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