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Investigation of Fungal Deterioration of Synthetic Paint Binders Using Vibrational Spectroscopic Techniques
Author(s) -
Cappitelli Francesca,
Vicini Silvia,
Piaggio Paolo,
Abbruscato Pamela,
Princi Elisabetta,
Casadevall Arturo,
Nosanchuk Joshua D.,
Zanardini Elisabetta
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
macromolecular bioscience
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.924
H-Index - 105
eISSN - 1616-5195
pISSN - 1616-5187
DOI - 10.1002/mabi.200400134
Subject(s) - alkyd , aspergillus niger , vinyl acetate , polymer , raman spectroscopy , biodegradation , infrared spectroscopy , chemistry , synthetic resin , materials science , organic chemistry , nuclear chemistry , copolymer , biochemistry , physics , optics , coating
Summary: The deterioration of synthetic polymers caused by biological process is usually evaluated by visual inspection and measuring physical effects. In contrast to this approach, we have applied vibrational spectroscopies to study the biodegradation of the synthetic resins. 29 synthetic resins used as paint binding media, including acrylic, alkyd and poly(vinyl acetate) polymers, were examined for potential susceptibility to fungal degradation using the standard method ASTM G21‐96(2002). In addition, the degraded resins were analysed by Raman spectroscopy, FT‐IR and FT‐IR photoacoustic spectroscopy. Almost all the acrylic resins studied proved to be resistant to microbial attack, while all alkyd resins and some poly(vinyl acetates) turned out to be biodegradable. Within a few days of inoculation Aspergillus niger was the most copious fungus on the biodegraded resins. A comparison of the IR and Raman spectra of control and biodegraded resins did not show any differences, but photoacoustic spectroscopy revealed additional bands for the fungal‐degraded resins, consistent with the presence of fungal‐derived substances. The additional bands in the photoacoustic spectra were due to the presence of Aspergillus niger and melanin, a fungal pigment. Since IR photoacoustic spectroscopy can be also a suitable technique for the chemical characterisation of binding media, the same spectroscopic analysis can be employed to both characterise the material and obtain evidence for fungal colonization.Microbial growth on Sobral 1241ML (alkyd resin) after 28 d (growth rating 4) compared with the non‐inoculated resin.