Antimicrobial silicone rubbers based on photocatalytically active additives

The modification of plastics to generate germ-reducing surface materials is a promising strategy to decrease nosocomial infections in hygiene-sensitive areas. In this paper, photocatalytically active nanoparticles were incorporated as additives, not as a coating, into silicone rubber matrix material to produce elastic antibacterial bulk materials. Samples with 5 wt% and 10 wt% of two different types of TiO₂ and ZnO were prepared and investigated. The thermal analysis of the developed materials showed a complete vulcanization of the developed materials and slight modifications of mechanical properties were found. Investigations of the surface of the materials indicated no changes in the wettability of the surfaces or in their fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FT-IR) spectra, suggesting no degradation of the developed material. The photocatalytic activity on the surface of the test samples was investigated by microbial tests with Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas fluorescens, and Staphylococcus aureus bacteria. Depending on the additive type and the test germs, the samples showed different intensities of a germ-reducing effect (up to >99,999%).