Antimicrobial, antibiofilm, and microbial barrier properties of poly (ε-caprolactone)/cloisite 30B thin films

Snigdha Sajeendra Babu; Shiji Mathew; Nandakumar Kalarikkal; Sabu Thomas; Radhakrishnan E K

doi:10.1007/s13205-016-0559-7

Antimicrobial, antibiofilm, and microbial barrier properties of poly (ε-caprolactone)/cloisite 30B thin films

3 Biotech. 2016 Dec;6(2):249. doi: 10.1007/s13205-016-0559-7. Epub 2016 Nov 18.

Authors

Snigdha Sajeendra Babu¹, Shiji Mathew², Nandakumar Kalarikkal^{1

3}, Sabu Thomas^{1

4}, Radhakrishnan E K⁵

Affiliations

¹ International and Inter University Centre for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam, 686 560, India.
² School of Biosciences, Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam, 686 560, India.
³ School of Pure and Applied Physics, Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam, 686 560, India.
⁴ School of Chemical Sciences, Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam, 686 560, India.
⁵ School of Biosciences, Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam, 686 560, India. radhakrishnanek@mgu.ac.in.

Abstract

Development of antibacterial and antibiofilm surfaces is in high demand. In this study, nanocomposite of Poly (ε-caprolactone)/Cloisite 30B was prepared by the solvent casting method. The membranes were characterised by SEM, AFM, and FTIR. Evaluation of water uptake, antimicrobial, antibiofilm, and microbial barrier properties demonstrated a significant antimicrobial and antibiofilm activity against MTCC strain of Staphylococcus haemolyticus and strong biofilm positive Staphylococcus epidermidis of clinical origin at low clay concentrations. These membranes acted as an excellent barrier to the penetration of microorganism. These nanocomposites can have promising applications in various fields including packaging.

Keywords: AFM; AFM of PCL/Clay; Antibiofilm; Antimicrobial; Mechanism of antimicrobial activity; Microbial barrier; Nanoclay; PCL/cloisite 30B; Packaging; SEM.