Work

An Innovative Approach for the Fabrication of Functional Antibacterial Membranes for Face Mask

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: ABSTRACT Number of studies on the hydrophobic and antibacterial membranes has shown significant growth recently, particularly in masks created in response to the coronavirus pandemic. In this study, the supercritical CO2 (scCO2) annealing, a promising green alternative post‐processing method to traditional solvents for polymers, polymer blends, and composites, has been focused. And polymeric membranes were also improved with silver (inorganic) or limestone (organic) particles as antibacterial additives to the polypropylene/polyethylene glycol (PP/PEG) blend. The effect on the structure and properties of the synthesized membranes were examined including the antibacterial and topographical properties before and after CO2 annealing. With increasing contact angle by scCO2 annealing, it was possible to create superhydrophobic surfaces and antibacterial properties against Escherichia coli (E. coli), especially for silver‐loaded PP–PEG membranes based on the collected results. This study is thought to boost the effectiveness of masks against bacteria, the main causes of today's hygiene related epidemics. Finally, scCO2 can be safely applied in mask and membrane production as well as biomedical applications.

Source: Polymers for Advanced Technologies

DOI: 10.1002/pat.70091

Authors: Merve Çakmak, Selda Topcu Sendogdular

Institution: Erciyes University

Language: English

Topic: Surface Modification and Superhydrophobicity

Subfield: Surfaces, Coatings and Films

Field: Materials Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $4,800

Funders: Erciyes Üniversitesi, Türkiye Bilimsel ve Teknolojik Araştırma Kurumu