Surface antibacterial characteristics of plasma‐modified polyethylene

The antibacterial characteristics of triclosan‐ or bronopol‐coated and plasma‐modified polyethylene (PE) are investigated. The modified PE samples exhibit excellent bactericidal effects against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus even when the bacteria concentration in the suspension is 106 colony forming units (CFU)/mL. However, when the concentration exceeds 108 CFU/mL, the materials fail to develop noticeable resistance to large amount of bacteria because of the formation of a bacterial biofilm on their surfaces. The PE treated by this relatively simple technique possesses excellent antimicrobial properties and is useful in biomedical and disinfection applications because the bacteria concentrations in most situations are well below 106 CFU/mL. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Biopolymers 83: 62–68, 2006 This article was originally published online as an accepted preprint. The “Published Online” date corresponds to the preprint version. You can request a copy of the preprint by emailing the Biopolymers editorial office at biopolymers@wiley.com