Aromatic Amide-Based Hindered Amine Derivative as an Efficient Nucleation Agent for Polypropylene within Antiaging and Rechargeable Antibacterial Performances

Abstract

The pursuit of multifunctional plastic additives continues to be a critical imperative in order to meet the increasing demands of practical applications. However, developing additives with nucleation, antibacterial, and antiaging properties still faces many challenges. In this study, a multifunctional hindered amine substituted aromatic diamide, N, N′-bis(4-amino-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidinyl)-1,4-benzenedicarboxamide (NBT), was synthesized and blended with polypropylene (PP) through melting extrusion. The crystallization temperature of PP increased from 116 °C (neat PP) to 123 °C (1% NBT addition). Additionally, the crystallization rate and relative crystallinity of PP were significantly increased by the introduction of the as-synthesized nucleation agent. The hindered amine structure of the additive can effectively prevent the ultraviolet aging of polypropylene. Abundant amino and amide groups on NBT can be easily changed to N-chlorine by household bleach, endowing materials with renewable antibacterial properties. The chlorinated NBT-modified PP sheets were able to kill 10 5−6 CFU/mL of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus within 60 min. The PP/NBT composites with regenerating antibacterial properties will have major potential for application in food packaging, filters, and hygienic products.