Antimicrobial paper obtained by dip-coating with modified guanidine-based particle aqueous dispersion.

Nonbiodegradable features and the lack of antimicrobial activity for conventional synthetic polymer-based packaging materials remain as extensive concerns for environmental issues and food safety. In this work, an antimicrobial copolymer PHGH-PPGDE was synthesized via a reaction between polyhexamethylene guanidine hydrochloride (PHGH) and poly(propylene glycol)diglycidyl ether (PPGDE). The obtained PHGH-PPGDE was amphiphilic, antimicrobial and reactive due to the terminal reactive group. The TEM images indicated that PHGH-PPGDE formed aggregated particles dispersed in water. The antimicrobial paper was conveniently prepared by dip-coating a paper matrix in the PHGH-PPGDE aqueous dispersion, or mixing the dispersion with pulp. The resultant paper showed excellent antimicrobial activities against Escherichia coli and improved durability for the nonleaching effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]