Functionalized zirconia compounds as antifungal additives for hygienicwaterborne coatings

ARRECHE ROMINA; KATERINE, IGAL; CECILIA DEYÁ; BELLOTTI, NATALIA; VAZQUEZ, PATRICIA

PROGRESS IN ORGANIC COATINGS

ELSEVIER SCIENCE SA

Lugar: Amsterdam; Año: 2019 vol. 128 p. 1 - 10

0300-9440

The addition of silver (Ag) into the chemical synthesis of materials, transform them into materials technologicallyrelevant to be used as antimicrobial additives. In this work, the sol-gel method was used to obtain materialsbased on silica and zirconia, with the inclusion of Ag. The solids were characterized by potentiometric titration,specific surface area (SBET), X-Ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanningelectron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and, the antifungal activity of theadditives was assessed by agar plate inhibition against Chaetomium globosum and Alternaria alternata. In addition,the resistance to fungal growth on waterborne coatings was evaluated after the incorporation of the solids intopaint formulation.Amorphous materials with different acidic and textural properties were obtained. Most of the tested solidsshowed antifungal activity at the highest concentration used, and the presence of Ag increased the percentage ofinhibition. The mixed oxides Ag-additives improved the antifungal activity compare with the pure Ag-oxides(silica or zirconia). In this sense, a synergic effect between zirconia/silica and silver would be a promising resultthat would reduce the amount of silver in these bioactive materials. This work was performed as a preliminarystudy, in order to guide the selection of a suitable additive from a list of possible antifungal agents.