ANTIFUNGAL BEHAVIOUR OF POLYURETHANE MEMBRANES WITH ZINC OXIDE NANOPARTICLES

Abstract

In this paper a series of polyurethane (PU) membranes modified by zinc oxide nanoparticles was prepared. The samples were synthesized from 1,6-hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI), a mixture of polyesters consisting of poly(1,4-butylene adipate) diol (PBA, M 2000) and polycaprolactone diol (PCL, M 2000), dimethylolpropionic acid (DMPA) and 1,4-butane diol (BD). Different concentrations of nano-ZnO powder were incorporated into PU matrix solution in dimethylformamide (DMF). The PU/nano--ZnO membranes were prepared by precipitation in warm water, washed and then dried at room temperature for several days. A very wide spread aggressive fungal species represented by Aspergillus brasiliensis has been used as a biological material. Evaluation of biological activity of these membranes against the attack of these fungi has been done through inoculation onto Sabouraud–agar nutrient medium. Fungal growth was monitored by optical observations at 7, 14, 21, 28 and 60 days after inoculation and by SEM images. The results suggest that the polyurethane membranes modified by nano-ZnO have important antifungal properties and can be used in biomedical applications.