Generation and properties of antibacterial coatings based on electrostatic attachment of silver nanoparticles to protein-coated polypropylene fibers.

We present a simple method for attaching silver nanoparticles to polypropylene (PP) fibers in a two-step process to impart antibacterial properties. Specifically, PP fibers are pretreated by the adsorption from an aqueous solution of heat-denatured lysozyme (LYS) followed by LYS cross-linking using glutaraldehyde and sodium borohydride. At neutral pH, the surface of the adsorbed LYS layer is enriched with numerous positive charges.

Formation and antifouling properties of amphiphilic coatings on polypropylene fibers.

We describe the formation of amphiphilic polymeric assemblies via a three-step functionalization process applied to polypropylene (PP) nonwovens and to reference hydrophobic self-assembled n-octadecyltrichlorosilane (ODTS) monolayer surfaces. In the first step, denatured proteins (lysozyme or fibrinogen) are adsorbed onto the hydrophobic PP or the ODTS surfaces, followed by cross-linking with glutaraldehyde in the presence of sodium borohydride (NaBH(4)). The hydroxyl and amine functional groups of the proteins permit the attachment of initiator molecules, from which poly (2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (PHEMA) polymer grafts are grown directly through "grafting from" atom transfer radical polymerization.

Generation of functional coatings on hydrophobic surfaces through deposition of denatured proteins followed by grafting from polymerization.

Hydrophilic coatings were produced on flat hydrophobic substrates featuring n-octadecyltrichlorosilane (ODTS) and synthetic polypropylene (PP) nonwoven surfaces through the adsorption of denatured proteins. Specifically, physisorption from aqueous solutions of α-lactalbumin, lysozyme, fibrinogen, and two soy globulin proteins (glycinin and β-conglycinin) after chemical (urea) and thermal denaturation endowed the hydrophobic surfaces with amino and hydroxyl functionalities, yielding enhanced wettability. Proteins adsorbed strongly onto ODTS and PP through nonspecific interactions.

Multilayers of weak polyelectrolytes of low and high molecular mass assembled on polypropylene and self-assembled hydrophobic surfaces.

Hydrophobic self-assembled octadecyltrichlorosilane (ODTS), ultrathin films of polypropylene, and ODTS modified with cationic dioctadecyldimethylammonium bromide are employed as substrates for deposition of multilayers of poly(allylamine hydrochloride) and poly(acrylic acid) from aqueous solution. The assembly of highly dissipative polyelectrolyte multilayers (PEMs) is demonstrated by quartz crystal microgravimetry. The initial rate of adsorption is faster and the adsorbed amount larger on the cationic surface, while the detailed structure of the PEMs, as determined by atomic force microscopy imaging, is related primarily to the molecular weight of the adsorbing polymers.