- Conjugated-polyelectrolyte-grafted cotton fibers act as "micro flypaper" for the removal and destruction of bacteria.
Conjugated-polyelectrolyte-grafted cotton fibers act as "micro flypaper" for the removal and destruction of bacteria.
ACS applied materials & interfaces (2011-07-09)
Linnea K Ista, Dimitri Dascier, Eunkyung Ji, Anand Parthasarathy, Thomas S Corbitt, Kirk S Schanze, David G Whitten
PMID21736385
ABSTRACT
We demonstrate herein a method for chemically modifying cotton fibers and cotton-containing fabric with a light-activated, cationic phenylene-ethynylene (PPE-DABCO) conjugated polyelectrolyte biocide. When challenged with Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Bacillus atropheaus vegetative cells from liquid suspension, light-activated PPE-DABCO effects 1.2 and 8 log, respectively, losses in viability of the exposed bacteria. These results suggest that conjugated polyelectrolytes retain their activity when grafted to fabrics, showing promise for use in settings where antimicrobial textiles are needed.