Enhanced antimicrobial performance of cloisite 30B/poly (ε-caprolactone) over cloisite 30B/poly (L-lactic acid) as evidenced by structural features

Antimicrobial property of nanocomposites for biomedical applications demands the design of high performance materials. The molecular interactions among components of nanocomposites can be crucial in determining the release of antimicrobial components. In this study, the effect of polymer type on the antimicrobial property of cloisite 30B (C30B) was studied. Poly-e-caprolactone (PCL) and Poly L-lactic acid (PLA) were the matrices used for cloisite 30B. These polymers are extensively used in tissue engineering and drug delivery applications. Nanocomposite formation was confirmed by AFM, FT-IR and X-ray diffraction. Antimicrobial analysis revealed that the PCL based nanocomposite was found to have synergistic antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus while PLA based one was antagonistic to the antimicrobial activity of C30B, due to higher level of interaction in C30B/PLA nanocomposite when compared to C30B/PCL. Higher degree of interactions could hinder release of antimicrobial agents from the nanocomposites. Results of the study provides an insight on the effect of matrix-filler interactions on bioactivity with promising applications in material engineering.