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Increasing the Functionality of Surgical Masks with Water-Soluble Antibacterial Polymers and MTT Test Studies

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Abstract

Herein, reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) agent salts containing water-soluble, antibacterial macro xanthate polyethylene glycol (PEG) were synthesized. Macro xanthate RAFT agent salts were featured by proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR) spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. PEG1500 Macro Xanthate RAFT agent pure water and PEG400 Macro Xanthate RAFT pure water solutions were applied to surgical masks by spraying. Moreover, these polymers were used to determine the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) on standard bacterial strains of Gram-positive bacteria and Gram-negative bacteria in the modified Broth MicroDilution method. It was determined that the synthesized polymers prevented the growth of bacteria. Mus musculus mouse fibroblast cells (L-929) were used in the cytotoxicity test of the materials performed by the direct method. It was determined by the Cytotoxicity 3-4,5-dimethyl-thiazolyl-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) test that these polymers were not harmful to human health. The biocompatibility of Macro xanthate RAFT agent salts was above 80%.

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Acknowledgements

Supporting our team in this study, Instructor we would like to thank Prof. Dr. İsmail Çakmak, Dr. Ümit Yildiko, and Rüstem Ebiri.

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The author(s) received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Occupational Health and Safety, Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences, Kafkas University, 36100, Kars, Turkey

    Aysenur Cakmak Oktay

  2. Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Architecture, Kafkas University, 36100, Kars, Turkey

    Sevilay Demirci

  3. Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Kafkas University, 36100, Kars, Turkey

    Aslihan Aycan Tanriverdi

  4. Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Inonu University, 44280, Malatya, Turkey

    Ali Kurucay

  5. Department of Physical Chemistry, Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences, Kafkas University, 36100, Kars, Turkey

    Ahmet Cagri Ata

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  1. Aysenur Cakmak Oktay
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Correspondence to Sevilay Demirci.

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Oktay, A.C., Demirci, S., Tanriverdi, A.A. et al. Increasing the Functionality of Surgical Masks with Water-Soluble Antibacterial Polymers and MTT Test Studies. Chemistry Africa 7, 1921–1933 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42250-024-00894-6

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