Cytocompatible quaternized carboxymethyl chitosan/poly(vinyl alcohol) blend film loaded copper for antibacterial application

Antibacterial quaternized carboxymethyl chitosan/poly(vinyl alcohol)/Cu blend film (QCMCS/PVA/Cu blend film) was prepared by quaternary ammonium salt modified carboxymethyl chitosan (QCMCS), PVA and copper sulfate pentahydrate via the process of solution casting and ion adsorption. The successful preparation of QCMCS was proved by EA, NMR and FTIR, and the degree of quaternization is 71.86%. The QCMCS/PVA/Cu blend film was characterized by SEM, AFM and EDX, and the content of the copper is about 1 wt%. Tensile tests and TGA showed that the mechanical and thermal properties were improved after being loaded with copper ions. By loading with Cu2+, the blend film showed good antibacterial activities. About 98.3% of S. aureus and 99.9% of E. coli could be inactivated within 60 min. The cell cytotoxicity was also studied and the results showed that all the prepared films had acceptable cell viability and biocompatible, which indicates that this blend film has potential applications in packaging and biomedical materials.