Executive Summary : | This project deals with the designing and formulation of functional environment-friendly antimicrobial coatings incorporated with nanoparticles. The proposed coatings are meant for applications in public places, transportation vehicles, offices, and hospitals etc. in order to kill pathogens/ viruses/ bacteria to stop the spreading of diseases like COVID19. Biodegradable and non-biodegradable commercial polymers will be selected for this study. Thermally stable films will be produced for coating applications as well for antimicrobial membranes for separation purposes too. The residual solvent and coating thickness will be optimized for better thermal and mechanical stability. Chitosan has been selected as primary polymer due to its basic character. Along with chitosan, poly(vinyl) alcohol, polypyrrole and polycaprolactone will also be used to make antimicrobial polymeric coatings as these polymers are also biodegradable and non-toxic. Chitosan based N-halamine will be synthesized. Binary or tertiary coatings will be prepared using different combinations of poly(vinyl) alcohol, polypyrrole, and polycaprolactone. Several thin layers will be formed on top of each other in order to get the desired thickness, strength, and functionality. Each layer of multilayer coatings will have antimicrobial properties. Coatings of commercial polymers e.g. poly(styrene), poly(methyl methacrylate) –will also be doped with antimicrobial agents in order to explore their possibilities to be used as antimicrobial coatings. Antimicrobial nanoparticle loading will be optimized in order to get desired dried coating thickness with minimum residual solvent, maximum antimicrobial properties, high thermal stability (glass transition temperature and melting point), and good mechanical properties like tensile strength, scratch resistance, and adhesive power. The surface morphology of the prepared coatings will be studied using SEM and TEM. These analyses will help to study the sample’s homogeneity and the nanoparticles’ shape and size. The formation of new functional groups or bonds between the polymer matrix and nanoparticles will be studied using FTIR. The thermal properties of the prepared coatings will be determined by using a differential scanning calorimeter. These parameters will be further used to predict the drying behavior of the coating using various diffusion models. Mathematical designing of prepared coatings will be done using these models. The mechanical strength of the prepared coatings will be measured using the universal tensile machine, scratch tester, adhesion, and thickness meters. These properties will help to decide these coating applications in food packaging and other antimicrobial packaging films. Antibacterial activity of the tested films to be evaluated using a dilution and spread plate technique against Gram-positive bacterium S. aureus and Gram-negative bacterium E. coli. It will be outsourced / performed in biotechnology lab / authorized labs. |