title: Toward Tailor-Made Biocide Materials Based on Poly(propylene)/Copper Nanoparticles.
abstract: A set of poly(propylene) composites containing different amounts of copper nanoparticles (CNP) were prepared by the melt mixed method and their antimicrobial behavior was quantitatively studied. The time needed to reduce the bacteria to 50% dropped to half with only 1 v/v % of CNP, compared to the polymer without CNP. After 4 h, this composite killed more than 99.9% of the bacteria. The biocide kinetics can be controlled by the nanofiller content; composites with CNP concentrations higher than 10 v/v % eliminated 99% of the bacteria in less than 2 h. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy did not detect CNP at the surface, therefore the biocide behavior was attributed to copper in the bulk of the composite.
authors: Departamento de Ingeniería Química y Biotecnología, Facultad de Ciencias Físicas y Matemáticas, Universidad de Chile, Beauchef 850, Santiago, Chile; Centro para la Investigación Interdisciplinaria en Ciencias de los Materiales (CIMAT), Universidad de Chile, Av. Blanco Encalada 2008, Santiago, Chile. hpalza@ing.uchile.cl.
authors: Humberto
authors: H
authors: Palza
authors: Sebastian
authors: S
authors: Gutiérrez
authors: Katherine
authors: K
authors: Delgado
authors: Oriana
authors: O
authors: Salazar
authors: Victor
authors: V
authors: Fuenzalida
authors: Jonathan I
authors: JI
authors: Avila
authors: Guillermo
authors: G
authors: Figueroa
authors: Raúl
authors: R
authors: Quijada