Chemical Modifications of Poly (vinyl chloride) for Biological Evaluation

Abstract

Poly(vinyl chloride) PVC, is one of the earliest industrial polymers, and its consumption of the total plastic product consumption is less than that of polyethylene but still ranks among the top five plastic products consumption rates. PVC is a thermoplastic material widely used in water pipes, medical equipment, food packaging, and toys because of its good mechanical properties as well as high chemical and abrasion resistance. PVC which presents in two basic forms, rigid (RPVC) and flexible one has also particular properties as easy modification, low production cost. So, it has become an important material in almost every aspect of modern-day life. PVC like other medical polymers are important in the treatment of diseases since they have a direct impact on patient’s health. Presence of medical polymers inside humans make these places for bacteria to adhere and breed. So, there is an increase interest to develop anti-infective medical polymers in the field of biomedical industry. Anti-infective properties of any medical polymer are usually attained by either impregnation or compounding with some well-known antimicrobial agents. In this work, chemical modification of PVC is mainly done to enhance its antimicrobial properties to be used in biomedical applications. The labile chlorine atoms present in the PVC polymeric chains were partially utilized for chemical modification through their reaction with some Schiff base derivatives through its addition on the imine group of the Schiff base. The chemical structure of the obtained Schiff base modified PVC samples was characterized their antimicrobial activity was evaluated. Some Schiff base derivatives modified PVC nanocomposites were prepared also for antimicrobial evaluation.