Exploring the potential of polyethylene terephthalate in the design of antibacterial surfaces

Abstract

Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is one of the most used polymeric materials in the health care sector mainly due to its advantages that include biocompatibility, high uniformity, mechanical strength and resistance against chemicals and/or abrasion. However, avoiding bacterial contamination on PET is still an unsolved challenge and two main strategies are being explored to overcome this drawback: the anti-adhesive and biocidal modification of PET surface. While bacterial adhesion depends on several surface properties namely surface charge and energy, hydrophilicity and surface roughness, a biocidal effect can be obtained by antimicrobial compounds attached to the surface to inhibit the growth of bacteria (bacteriostatic) or kill bacteria (bactericidal). Therefore, it is well known that granting antibacterial properties to PET surface would be beneficial in the prevention of infectious diseases. Different modification methods have been reported for such purpose. This review addresses some of the strategies that have been attempted to prevent or reduce the bacterial contamination on PET surfaces, including functionalisation, grafting, topographical surface modification and coating. Those strategies, particularly the grafting method seems to be very promising for healthcare applications to prevent infectious diseases and the emergence of bacteria resistance.

Electrospun Poly(ethylene Terephthalate)/Silk Fibroin Composite for Filtration Application

“…It is highly flexible, semi-crystalline, and shows excellent electrical insulating properties and high strength [ 49 ]. Poly(ethylene terephthalate) is the most common polymer for food and beverage packaging [ 50 , 51 ]; however, it can be seen in applications as automotive [ 49 ] or even medicine [ 52 ].…”

Deposition of Copper on Polyester Knitwear Fibers by a Magnetron Sputtering System. Physical Properties and Evaluation of Antimicrobial Response of New Multi-Functional Composite Materials

“…Moreover, due to its own porosity PET is conducive to microbial adhesion and subsequent bacteria colonization [16]. Therefore, for improvement of antimicrobial properties PET was subjected to several surface modification technologies [17,18], the majority based on functionalization [19,20], grafting [21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28], surface topography modification [29][30][31][32][33], coating [34][35][36][37] and their combinations [38][39][40].…”

Preparation and Antifouling Property of Polyurethane Film Modified by PHMG and HA Using Layer-by-Layer Assembly

“…However most material modifications can only improve one aspect of performance of the surface. Therefore, modification with an antibacterial agent and antifouling material on the surface is a good strategy to endow the PU surface with both antifouling properties and bactericidal properties [ 11 , 12 ], which would be a desirable antibacterial surface for clinical usage.…”

“…Conversely, it would be able to electrostatically attract cationic antimicrobial such as chitosan [ 17 , 18 ], quaternary ammonium salts [ 19 , 20 ], and cationic antimicrobial peptides [ 21 ] to integrate antibacterial function. Hence, HA is suitable for the surface modification of materials to reach the ultimate purpose of reducing bacterial adhesion [ 11 , 22 ]. Polyhexamethylene guanidine (PHMG) is a highly water-soluble, colorless, and odorless positively-charged antimicrobial [ 23 ].…”