Preparation of breathable polyurethane membranes with quaternary ammonium salt diols providing durable antibacterial property

Aim of this study was to produce hydrophilic breathable polyurethane membranes providing antibacterial property permanently by incorporation of a quaternary ammonium salt diol (QAS). The study was carried out by synthesis of nine different polyurethanes by solution polymerization through variations of their QAS and isocyanate contents. Fully amorphous membranes at a thickness of ~30 μm were produced from the synthesized polymers and their thermal and morphological characteristics were determined. The effect of morphological structures on the membrane water vapor transmission rates (WVTR) and antibacterial properties were correlated. The WVTR increased with the increased temperature in all membranes over 10–40 °C, all produced membranes showed water resistance up to a pressure of 2100 cmH2O and WVTR values above 60 g/m² h at 30 °C. The WVTR increased by increasing amount of QAS including cationic groups and decreased by increasing isocyanate amount reducing the molecular chain flexibility. In addition, while the unmodified membranes did not show any antibacterial activity, the QAS-added membranes provided significant inactivation against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli of about 104 CFU within 5 h of contact time. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2019 , 136, 47133.