https://www.avient.com/sites/default/files/2021-10/microbial-susceptibility-of-various-polymers-and-evaluation.pdf
From a product-type viewpoint, flexible polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and poly(urethane)-foam-based applications have used biocides for decades.[8,9] PVC is especially vulnerable to attack from fungi and bacteria due to extensive plasticizer usage in flexible applications.[ 10] Poly(urethane) foams are another notable consumer of biocides because of their porous nature, which pro- vides an ideal environment for microbes to grow.[11,12] Therefore, it is not surprising that many applications based on these two materials have significant usage of biocides; commonly, oxybisphenoxarsine or lower toxic- ity alternatives such as zinc pyrithione (ZPT) antimicro- bials are employed.[10] Specific example applications include kitchen and bath accessories, swimming pool liners, carpet backing, sleep solutions like mattresses and pillows, roofing membranes, and tiles.
To reduce the incidence of device-associated infections, antimicrobial technologies have been utilized in a variety of ways ranging from bulk-imbedded additives to sur- face grafting techniques.[13,14] In particular, silver-based additive technologies are frequently explored for healthcare applications due to their favorable toxicological profiles and broader regulatory approvals, while silver nanoparticles with controlled, long-term release profiles continue to be a very active and promising area of biomedi- cal research.[15-19] In textile segments such as sports active- wear, biocides are used to prevent the growth of odor- causing bacteria from perspiration.[20,21] Additionally, high-end recreational products such as boats utilize bio- cides to preserve the aesthetics of PVC products used for seat covers since bacterial growth may lead to pink staining caused by specific bacterial metabolites.[22,23] With respect to the mechanism of action, many antimicrobial products work by attacking enzymes common to a variety of microbes, interfering with membrane transport processes (e.g., importing environmental copper into the cells) as well as interfering with iron metabolism pathways.[24,25] Herein, an assortment of both rigid and flexible resins/ compounds will be evaluated for susceptibility to determine whether particular resin chemistries or compounds are inherently vulnerable to microbial growth and subsequent degradation or other deleterious effects.