Journal of Applied Polymer Science, EarlyView.
Abstract
Water soluble polyelectrolytic derivatives of chitosan (CDs) with carboxyl (COO−) and quaternary ammonium (NH4+) groups were synthesized and characterized by NMR, FT‐IR, TGA and zeta potential analyses; while degree of substitution was determined by potentiometric titrations. Both CDs in the as‐synthesized form exhibited antibacterial zones against Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) . The CD conjugated vulcanized natural rubber latex (NRL) films were investigated for understanding the level of bacterial adhesion and bactericidal properties as a function of the polyelectrolytic groups present. NRL Films modified at ambient conditions were found effective against Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa). The biofilm assay results demonstrate that CD conjugated samples exhibit significantly reduced adhesion (63.8%) against P. aeruginosa . Further, alterations observed in cellular morphology of attached bacteria indicate that the modified surface of films is bacteriocidal while presence of significantly higher level of extra cellular polymer substances (EPS) were detected on control NRL films.