Antibacterial
modification of polymers with potent biocides via
an efficient and universal approach is very desirable in both academia
and industry. A polysiloxane with both quaternary ammonium and N-chloramine was prepared via a facile three-step synthetic
route. Poly(methylhydrosiloxane) (PMHS) was first reacted with 2-(dimethylamino)ethyl
acrylate to introduce an ending tertiary amine that was subsequently
quaternized with 3-(3-chloropropyl)-5,5-dimethylhydantoin (CPDMH).
The 5,5-dimethylhydantoin moiety was then transformed into its N-chloramine counterparts by chlorination with tert-butyl hypochlorite to produce quaternary ammonium (quat)/N-chloramine polysiloxane. The CO2-philic quat/N-chloramine polysiloxane was interpenetrated into polyethylene
terephthalate (PET) in supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2) and formed a 70 nm biocidal layer. The synthetic procedures and
interpenetration results were characterized with Fourier transform
infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), 1H NMR, scanning electron
microscopy (SEM), and X-ray photoelectron spectrocsopy (XPS). The
incorporation of quaternary ammonium and N-chloramine
exhibited improved synergetic biocidal performance against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli, providing a complete kill of a 7-log reduction of both species
within a contact time of 10 min. The polysiloxane interpenetration
layer was stable and the rechargeability of lost chlorine was good
when the layer was subjected to repeated washing, storage, and UV
irradiation. This modification procedure uses ecologically responsible
CO2 as solvent and is expected to be applicable to substrates
of other chemistry since it does not rely on chemical linkage.