Poly(vinyl alcohol) blend film with m ‐aramid as an N ‐halamine precursor for antimicrobial activity

Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) was blended with m ‐aramid as an N ‐halamine precursor for imparting antimicrobial activity. A series of PVA/ m ‐aramid blend films were produced with different ratios of PVA/ m ‐aramid by weight (100/0, 100/2, 100/6, 100/10, and 100/50). The films were characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction (WAXD), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The FTIR spectra of the PVA/ m ‐aramid blends are a combination of the spectra of pure PVA and of pure m ‐aramid. However, the peak intensity in the m ‐aramid decreases with decreasing m ‐aramid content from 50 to 2 wt % in PVA. It implies the compatibility of m ‐aramid in the PVA/ m ‐aramid blend films. Furthermore, a single glass transition temperature ( T g ) for all blend films by DSC confirms that PVA/ m ‐aramid is successfully miscible. The crystallinity of PVA/ m ‐aramid blend films decreases slightly with increasing m ‐aramid content in the blend films. This agrees with the results obtained by WAXD. However, melting point and thermal stability of the blend films increases with increasing m ‐aramid content in the blend films. Chlorinated PVA/2% m ‐aramid blend film produces about 5.7 log reduction of both Gram‐positive and Gram‐negative bacteria at 30 min contact, implying sufficient antimicrobial activity. Therefore, PVA/ m ‐aramid blend films may serve as a novel material for biomedical applications. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011.