Preparation and antibacterial properties of polycaprolactone/quaternized chitosan blends

Abstract This article is a preliminary study on antibacterial blends of polycaprolactone, chitosan and quaternized chitosan by melt processing. Blends were characterized by FTIR, 1H NMR, XPS, TGA/DTG, and SEM. Mechanical test, and antibacterial evaluation against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus, were conducted. Results showed that the antibacterial potential of chitosan was limited in blends and polycaprolactone/chitosan did not show significant antibacterial effect compared with neat PCL. Inhibition rates of polycaprolactone/quaternized chitosan were 39.2% to 99.9% against Escherichia coli, while inhibition rate was 40.9% to 99.9 against Staphylococcus aureus. When QCTS content was upto 20%, blends exhibited 99.9% inhibition rates against both two types of bacteria.