Abstract:
Polymer surface modification is a common technique used to make a surface antimicrobial, preventing highly infectious biofilm formation. Quaternary ammonium compounds and N-halamines are commonly used antibacterial agents. To incorporate this agent on a surface, 3-(trimethoxysilyl)-propyldimethyloctadecylammonium chloride (SPODA) and 3-triethoxysilylpropyl-5,5-dimethylhydantoin (SPH) were used. Alkoxy silane functional groups are used for sol-gel reaction and acted as a coupling agent to incorporate the antimicrobial group to polymer surfaces that have hydroxyl groups. In addition, anhydride functional group reaction with silane were also studied. The research primarily focuses on studying the reaction conditions for silane modification by varying the antimicrobial agent concentration, pH, and condensation reaction time. The modified polymer surfaces are characterised by FTIR, elemental analysis, and contact angle. The antibacterial activity of treated polycarbonate was tested against Gram-positive bacteria, S.aureus and Gram-negative bacteria, E.coli. Keywords Surface modification, antibacterial, quaternary ammonium, N-halamine, sol-gel, silane coupling agent