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Application of glass particles doped by Zn(+2) as an antimicrobial and atoxic compound in LLDPE and HDPE
M F Santos1, C Machado2, C G Tachinski2
1Post-Graduate Program in Science and Materials Engineering, Universidade do Extremo Sul Catarianese/UNESC, Av. Universitária, 1105, CEP 88806-000, Criciúma, Santa Catarina, Brazil.
Abstract:
This study demonstrates the potential application of glass particles doped with Zn(+2) (GZn) as an atoxic, antimicrobial additive when used in conjunction with high density polyethylene (HDPE) and linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) polymers. Toxicity tests demonstrated that these modified glass particles were nontoxic to human cells, and atomic absorption analyses demonstrated the migration of ionic species in quantities less than 2.0ppm for both the HDPE/GZn and LLDPE/GZn compounds. Microbiological tests demonstrated the antimicrobial effect of the pure GZn compound as well as the polymeric HDPE/GZn and LLDPE/GZn compounds. In addition, at percentages of GZn higher than 2.00wt.% and at a time of 4h, the bactericidal performance is excellent and equal for both polymeric compounds.
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