Biocompatible enhancement of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) waste films by cold plasma aminolysis

Abstract

BACKGROUND Poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) waste films were treated by cold plasma aminolysis to graft primary amino groups (‐NH2) and the surface biocompatibility of the polymer was improved. Aminated PET waste films were obtained by applying radiofrequency (RF) plasma treatment of either diethylenetriamine (DTA) or ethylenediamine (EDA). Aminolysis was applied during 5, 10 and 15 min at plasma power levels of 150, 175 and 200 W. RESULTS Water contact angle study revealed that the surface of PET waste films became more hydrophilic after plasma treatment, the contact angles decreased as exposure time or plasma power increased. Also, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) detected signals related to ‐NH2 functional groups at the surface of treated PET films. In relation to the biocompatibility properties of the aminated PET waste films, most of them, do not present hemolytic problems, but those treated with DTA at 150 W for 10 min (PET‐DTA/150 W‐10 min) showed the least hemolytic effect. On the other hand, it was proved that plasma treatment of PET waste films conferred a sterilization effect against Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria. CONCLUSIONS The biocompatible properties of PET were improved while the material was sterilized due to the ultraviolet radiation and free electrons generated during plasma treatment. These results suggest that aminated PET waste films have the potential to be used in biological or biomedical applications by taking advantage of ecofriendly technology such as cold plasma and the reuse of waste polymers such as PET from purified water bottles. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry (SCI).

Influence of Starch on the Structure–Properties Relationship in Polyethylene Glycol/Polycaprolactone Diol Polyurethanes

“…Composite polymers tend to be used in cardiovascular applications [ 1 ] due to their versatility in terms of their mechanical, thermal, and physicochemical properties, which are achieved by mixing a disperse phase (filler) and a continuous phase (polymeric matrix) [ 1 , 2 ]. Several investigations with different polymeric matrices have been conducted to obtain new composite materials for cardiovascular implants, especially with alginate, poly(D,L-lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA), polytetrafluoroethylene (PTEF), polyethylene terephthalate (Dacron), and polyurethane (PU) [ 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 ]. Between these polymeric matrices, polyurethanes are listed as the first candidate for the production of vascular grafts owing to their better compliance, biocompatibility, mechanical properties, and adaptation to different manufacturing technologies [ 9 , 10 ].…”

Modification of poly(ethylene terephthalate) fibers, fabrics, and films by amination reactions—A review

“…Cold plasma aminolysis, also results in ultraviolet radiation and free electrons generation to sterilize the waste films. 149 With low-pressure microwave plasma, the use of ammonia and a mixture of nitrogen and hydrogen were compared. It was found that almost 2 -NH 2 /nm 2 can be incorporated into PET films, which was not dependent on the treatment used.…”

“Functional upcycling” of polymer waste towards the design of new materials

“…The surface aminolysis involves the interaction of hydrolysed or non-hydrolysed PET surfaces with aliphatic amines such as 4-amino-1-butanol, 128 diethylenetriamine (DTA), 101 ethylenediamine (EDA), 99,100,102 triethylenetetramine, 129,130 under catalytic conditions (sodium/zinc acetate or bases) or simple heating (Fig. 4c and Table 1(4)).…”

“…4c and Table 1(4)). Surface aminolysis can be also realized via NH 3 plasma treatment 101 (Table 1(4)). Amino groups formed during aminolysis can serve as active centres for further organic transformations (Fig.…”

“…The functional upcycling of waste PET enables the design of materials with antibacterial and sterilization properties via plasma-induced aminolysis, 101 surface-assisted polyacrylic acid (PAA) polymerisation, 104 or incorporation of zinc oxide NPs. 91,92 Despite various action mechanisms, the performance of these materials is not inferior to that of similar materials prepared from virgin PET.…”