Symmetry between Structure–Antibacterial Effect of Polymers Functionalized with Phosphonium Salts
Nicoleta Sorina Nemeş,
Cristina Ardean,
Corneliu Mircea Davidescu,
Adina Negrea,
Mihaela Ciopec,
Virgil Filaret Musta,
Narcis Duţeanu,
Petru Negrea,
Delia Muntean
Affiliations
Nicoleta Sorina Nemeş
Renewable Energy Research Institute—ICER, University Politehnica of Timisoara, 300501 Timisoara, Romania
Cristina Ardean
Faculty of Industrial Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, University Politehnica of Timişoara, 2 Piaţa Victoriei, 300006 Timisoara, Romania
Corneliu Mircea Davidescu
Renewable Energy Research Institute—ICER, University Politehnica of Timisoara, 300501 Timisoara, Romania
Adina Negrea
Faculty of Industrial Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, University Politehnica of Timişoara, 2 Piaţa Victoriei, 300006 Timisoara, Romania
Mihaela Ciopec
Faculty of Industrial Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, University Politehnica of Timişoara, 2 Piaţa Victoriei, 300006 Timisoara, Romania
Virgil Filaret Musta
Department 13, University of Medicine and Pharmacy Victor Babes Timisoara, 300041 Timisoara, Romania
Narcis Duţeanu
Faculty of Industrial Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, University Politehnica of Timişoara, 2 Piaţa Victoriei, 300006 Timisoara, Romania
Petru Negrea
Faculty of Industrial Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, University Politehnica of Timişoara, 2 Piaţa Victoriei, 300006 Timisoara, Romania
Delia Muntean
Multidisciplinary Research Centre on Antimicrobial Resistance, Department of Microbiology, “Victor Babeş” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 2 Eftimie Murgu Square, 300041 Timisoara, Romania
In actual context, when the terms of biomass and bioenergy are extensively used, it becomes clear that the comparative study of some biopolymers, such as cellulose and chitosan, can offer a large usage range, based on the scientific progress obtained in the biomaterials field. Starting from the structural similarity of these two polymers, we synthesized composite materials by grafting on their surface biocide substances (phosphonium salts). After testing the biocidal effect, we can conclude that the antibacterial effect depends on the ratio of support to phosphonium salt, influenced by the interaction between the cationic component of the biocides and by the anionic component of the bacterial cellular membrane. It was also observed that for the materials obtained by cellulose functionalization with tri-n-butyl-hexadecyl phosphonium bromide, the bacterial effect on E. coli strain was much better when chitosan was used as the support material.
