Effect of silver ion implantation on antibacterial ability of polyethylene food packing films

Abstract Bacterial adhesion on medical instruments’ and food packages’ surfaces causes implanted infections, food spoilage and human disease, therefore attracts a lot of attention in the field of medical and food applications. Containing the initial adhesion of bacteria on the surface of the material plays an important role in reducing potential safety hazards. In this work, we investigate the influence of silver ion implantation with different doses on the antibacterial performance of the polyethylene (PE) films. It is found out that silver ion implantation will not color the PE films but can improve their surface hydrophilicity. The silver-implanted PE films show the ability to inhibit bacterial adhesion and have the bactericidal effect, both of which can be improved with increasing silver implantation dose. This method also proves relatively safe, because the silver ions are relatively stable. The results will introduce potential applications for ion implantation in the food packing and food accessible materials.