Chemical Modification of Poly(Vinyl Chloride) Using Aniline Characterization and Antimicrobial Evaluation

Abstract

Polyvinyl chloride (PVC ) modified with aniline was synthesized. The method is based on the nucleophilic substitution of a fraction of the chlorine atoms bound to the poly(vinyl chloride) backbone by aniline.

The chemical structure of the polymer-aniline matrix was analyzed using High-Resolution Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (HRMN), Carbon-13 Resonance Magnetic Resonance (CRMN), and Infrared (IR) spectroscopies, and its stability was studied by thermal analysis using TG and DSC.

The introduction of aniline groups into the PVC chains assists in giving new catalytic properties and high performance as a surfactant polymer.

The antimicrobial activity of the modified PVC was evaluated successfully against Gram-negative bacterial pathogens, such as Escherichia coli, and one Gram-positive bacterium, Staphylococcus aureus.