Built-in antimicrobial plastic resins and methods for making the same

Abstract

A built-in and process-adaptive formulation of antimicrobial commodity thermoplastic resins with mixed compositions comprising of a polymer, a backbone linker, and a non-labile antifouling and biocompatible coupling agent which is melt-processable and enabled to be manufactured into finished products in the form of solid, monolith, tube, composite, fiber, film, sheet and varnish without the prerequisite of biocides or antimicrobial additives is disclosed. The said formulation is adapted to thermoforming and thermal curing processes including but not limited to melt compounding, spinning, extrusion, molding, compression foaming and drawing. The antimicrobial property is attributed to the persistent formation of a non-stick bacteria-repellent tethered layer in which the antifouling component of the said formulation is heterogeneously phase separated and/or surface migrated to the surface after product forming in order to minimize adsorption and/or colonization of bacteria.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.