Antimicrobial Properties of [2-(Acryloyloxy)Ethyl]-Trimethyl Ammonium Chloride and Maleic Anhydride Surface Grafted-Cotton Fibers

Antimicrobial compound of [2-(acryloyloxy)ethyl]-trimethyl ammonium chloride (AETAC) can be bound into polymer backbones to produce various antimicrobial polymeric materials. In this work, cotton cellulose (CCell) fibres was modified in a laboratory scale reflux-reactor for 2 hours in toluene (TL) as solvent with addition of maleic anhydride (MA). TL solution of antimicrobial compound of AETAC and ammoniumpersulphate (NH4)2S2O8) as initiator was added dropwise and the reflux was further continued for 2 hours. The reaction mixture with optimum weight ratio (CCell/MA/AETAC: 100/20/20) was then cooled down, filtered and wash thoroughly using distilled water and dried in oven vacum to constant weight at 80C. The AETAC/MA-modified Cellulose (AETAC/MA-g-CCell) was then characterised using infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) for chemical structure identification of the reaction products. Antimicrobial properties of the modified cellulose was tested using: Aspergillus niger and Staphylococcus aureus. Results of FTIR spectra of the AETAC/MA-g-CCell after exhaustive Soxhlet extraction in toluene still showed stable absorption peak of AETAC/MA carbonyl group (>C=O) at 1736 cm and dissapearance of bond absorption peak of acryloyl group (>C=C<) at 1470 cm. The AETAC/MA-modified cotton cellulose showed marginal antimicrobial activity against Aspergillus niger, however the modified cellulose showed excellent antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus.