KR20160137074A - Antimicrobial articles - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an antibacterial article, wherein the antibacterial article according to the present invention comprises a polymer and an inorganic antibacterial agent, wherein the particle size of the inorganic antibacterial agent is 0.8 to 1.2 times the particle size of the polymer.

Description

ANTIMICROBIAL ARTICLES

The present invention relates to an antibacterial article, more specifically, to an antibacterial article having improved antibacterial activity and uniform antibacterial activity in all areas.

Recently, interest in antimicrobial articles used for maintaining freshness of foods has been increasing. In general, organic antimicrobial agents are used as antibacterial agents included in antibacterial articles. However, the organic antimicrobial agent has a short duration of antimicrobial activity, can be dissolved in water or food, may cause generation of resistant bacteria, and may exhibit acute toxicity.

In order to solve these problems, development of an inorganic antibacterial agent is proceeding. However, since the inorganic antibacterial agent contains an inorganic substance such as a metal, the inorganic antibacterial agent is difficult to be processed and has problems such as mechanical properties, transparency and color of the final product. Further, there is a problem that it is difficult to uniformly show the antibacterial activity in the whole area in the final product.

An object of the present invention is to provide an antibacterial article having high human safety, uniform antibacterial activity in all regions, and improved antibacterial activity.

The antibacterial article according to the present invention includes a polymer and an inorganic antibacterial agent. The particle size of the inorganic antibacterial agent is 0.8 to 1.2 times the particle size of the polymer.

The inorganic antimicrobial agent may be silver-zirconium.

The content of the inorganic antibacterial agent may be 0.5 to 1.5% by weight based on the total weight of the antibacterial article.

In one embodiment, the polymer may comprise low density polyethylene (LDPE). In another embodiment, the polymer may comprise high density polyethylene (HDPE). In another embodiment, the polymer may comprise low density polyethylene and linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE). The antibacterial article may further include a pressure-sensitive adhesive and a lubricant.

The antibacterial article may be a wrap, a bag, a zipper bag or a glove.

The antibacterial product according to the present invention has high human safety, uniform antibacterial activity in all areas, and exhibits improved antibacterial activity compared to conventional antibacterial products. Further, the antibacterial article according to the present invention has no discoloration, maintains transparency, and is excellent in mechanical properties.

1 is a photograph showing the results of discoloration test of samples according to Examples and Comparative Examples.
2 is a graph showing the results of adhesion tests of samples according to Examples and Comparative Examples.
3 is a graph showing tensile strength and elongation test results of samples according to Examples and Comparative Examples.
4 is a graph showing the results of the transparency test of the samples according to Examples and Comparative Examples.
FIGS. 5 and 6 are diagrams for explaining the dispersion of the antibacterial agent and the antibacterial activity of the sample according to the examples and the comparative examples.

Brief Description of the Drawings The advantages and features of the present invention and the manner of achieving them will be apparent from and elucidated with reference to the embodiments described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The present invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. To fully disclose the scope of the invention to a person skilled in the art, and the invention is only defined by the scope of the claims.

In the following description of the present invention, detailed description of known related arts will be omitted when it is determined that the gist of the present invention may be unnecessarily obscured by the present invention.

In the present specification, the term "includes", "having", "having", and the like are used, other than the above-mentioned items may be added unless the expression "only" is used. The singular forms of the elements include the plural unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

In interpreting the constituent elements, it is to be interpreted that they include an error range even if there is no separate description.

Each of the features of the embodiments of the present invention can be combined or combined with each other partly or entirely, and technically various interlocking and driving are possible.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail. The following embodiments are provided by way of example so that those skilled in the art can fully understand the spirit of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described below, but may be embodied in other forms.

An antibacterial article according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a polymer and an inorganic antibacterial agent. Further, the antibacterial article may further include at least one of a pressure-sensitive adhesive and a lubricant. The antibacterial article may be a wrap, bag, zipper bag or glove.

Polymers include polyethylene. The polyethylene may include at least one selected from the group consisting of high density polyethylene, low density polyethylene and linear low density polyethylene.

Preferably, when the antibacterial article is a wrap or glove, the polymer includes low density polyethylene and linear low density polyethylene. Preferably, when the antimicrobial article is white, the polymer comprises high density polyethylene. Preferably, when the antimicrobial article is a zippered bag, the polymer comprises low density polyethylene.

Further, preferably, when the antibacterial article is a wrap, it further includes a pressure-sensitive adhesive and a lubricant. The adhesive can secure the adhesive force between the container and the antibacterial article, thereby facilitating storage of the food. Further, the lubricant prevents the adhesion of the antibacterial article between opposite surfaces of the antibacterial article, thereby enhancing the ease of use of the actual user. At this time, for example, polyisobutene may be used as the pressure-sensitive adhesive, and soybean oil may be used as the lubricant, but not limited thereto, and any of those known in the art for such use may be used.

The particle size of the inorganic antimicrobial agent and the particle size of the polymer are similar to each other. Preferably, the particle size of the inorganic antibacterial agent is 0.8 to 1.2 times the particle size of the polymer. The particle size of conventionally used polymers is about three times the particle size of the inorganic antimicrobial agent. As a result, conventionally, it is not easy to disperse the inorganic antibacterial agent. Even in the antibacterial article as the final product, the antibacterial activity is not uniform across the whole area and shows a large variation. Therefore, in the present invention, by using an inorganic antibacterial agent having a particle size similar to the particle size of the polymer, a uniform antibacterial activity is exhibited in the whole area of the antibacterial article.

Based on the total weight of the antimicrobial article, the content of the inorganic antimicrobial agent is 0.5 to 1.5 wt%. When the content of the inorganic antibacterial agent is less than 0.5% by weight, the antibacterial activity is insufficient. When the content of the inorganic antibacterial agent is more than 1.5% by weight, it is difficult to ensure the transparency of the antibacterial article due to the inorganic substance contained in the inorganic antibacterial agent, the tensile strength is weakened, and the antibacterial article may be broken. do.

Such inorganic antimicrobial agents include silver-zirconium. Silver-zirconium means zirconium carrying silver ions. Silver-zirconium is an FDA-approved antimicrobial agent that is harmless to the human body and has high human safety.

Conventionally, there has been an attempt to use zeolite as an antimicrobial agent, but silver-zeolite has a problem of discoloring in the presence of moisture, ultraviolet rays or visible light in the air. Zeolite contains a large number of micropores, so it absorbs moisture easily. Therefore, there is a problem that silver-zeolite discolors as silver ions react with moisture in the micropores of the zeolite to be oxidized. In addition, a certain amount of antimicrobial agent is necessary to secure the antimicrobial activity, but the discoloration increases as the content of silver-zeolite increases. On the other hand, in the present invention, the problem of discoloration is solved by using silver-zirconium as an inorganic antimicrobial agent.

Further, when an antimicrobial agent such as silver-zeolite or silver glass is used, the adhesive force, tensile strength and elongation rate are remarkably lower than those of articles not containing the antimicrobial agent. However, in the present invention, by using silver-zirconium as an antimicrobial agent, the antimicrobial article has an adhesive strength, a tensile strength and an elongation rate comparable to articles containing no antimicrobial agent. That is, when silver-zirconium is used as an antimicrobial agent, the silver-zeolite or silver glass exhibits a remarkable effect on the adhesive strength, the tensile strength and the elongation, as compared with the case of using an antimicrobial agent.

In addition, when silver-zirconium is used as the antimicrobial agent, transparency can be secured, and the antibacterial activity is 99.9% or more.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the following experimental examples. However, the following experimental examples are intended to illustrate the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention.

1. Discoloration Test

(1) Preparation of sample according to Example: A sample (bag) was prepared by blending high-density polyethylene and silver-zirconium (1 wt%) and subjecting it to a purging process.

(2) Preparation of samples according to the comparative example Except that 0.3 wt.%, 0.5 wt.%, 0.6 wt.%, 0.7 wt.% Or 1.0 wt.% Of silver-zeolite was used as the antimicrobial agent , A sample was prepared in the same manner as in Example.

(3) The samples according to Examples and Comparative Examples were subjected to UV irradiation for 8 hours using a UVA 340 nm lamp at a temperature of 70 캜.

(4) Subsequently, the samples according to Examples and Comparative Examples were exposed to water vapor at a temperature of 50 DEG C for 4 hours.

(5), the degree of discoloration was observed, and the results are shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 1, no discoloration occurred in the Examples and Comparative Examples which did not include the antimicrobial agent, but it was confirmed that the silver-zeolite was discolored in the Comparative Example using the silver-zeolite as an antimicrobial agent. In particular, in order for the antimicrobial article to have a certain level of antimicrobial activity, the antimicrobial agent should be contained in an amount of 0.5% by weight or more, and the amount of silver-zeolite added in an amount greater than 0.5%

On the other hand, visible light irradiation was further performed for 12 hours using a 410 nm lamp at a temperature of 70 캜, and a sample according to the comparative example containing silver-zeolite was discolored and a sample according to an embodiment containing silver- It was confirmed that no discoloration occurred.

In conclusion, when the sample according to the comparative example contains an antimicrobial agent, commercialization due to discoloration is difficult, but no discoloration occurs in the sample according to the examples.

2. Adhesion Test

(1) Preparation of samples according to the examples: A sample (wrap) comprising low density polyethylene, linear low density polyethylene, polyisobutene, soybean oil and silver-zirconium (1 wt%) was prepared.

(2) Preparation of sample according to the comparative example: A sample was prepared in the same manner as in Example, except that no antimicrobial agent was used, or silver-zeolite or silver glass was used as an antimicrobial agent.

Comparative Example 1: No antimicrobial agent (manufacturer: 3M)

Comparative Example 2: Antibacterial agent-containing (silver glass)

Comparative Example 3: Antibacterial agent-containing (silver-zeolite)

Comparative Example 4: Antibacterial agent-free (Manufacturer: Clean Lab)

(3) The force required for peeling the samples according to the examples and the comparative examples was measured, and the adhesive strength test was conducted. The results are shown in Fig.

As shown in FIG. 2, the sample according to the embodiment showed about 4.0 gf, the sample according to Comparative Example 1 had about 4.0 gf, the sample according to Comparative Example 2 had about 1.5 gf, About 2.0 gf, and the sample according to Comparative Example 4 was about 3.5 gf. That is, when an inorganic antimicrobial agent such as silver or silver-zeolite is included, the adhesive strength is remarkably reduced, but it is confirmed that the adhesive strength can be maintained when silver-zirconium is used as an antimicrobial agent as in the embodiment.

As a result, in the sample using the antimicrobial agent according to the comparative example, the adhesive force is low, but the sample according to the embodiment has the effect of maintaining the adhesive force.

3. Tensile Strength & Elongation Test

(1) Samples according to Examples and Comparative Examples were prepared in the same manner as in the above adhesive strength test.

(2) The tensile strain (%) of the sample according to the example and the sample according to the comparative example were measured in the direction of the CD (cross direction), and the results are shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 3, the samples according to Comparative Example 2 and Comparative Example 3 containing an inorganic antimicrobial agent such as silver or silver-zeolite showed poor tensile strain in the CD direction and were easily broken. On the other hand, it was confirmed that the samples according to the Examples had substantially the same tensile strains in the CD direction as those of the samples according to Comparative Examples 1 and 4 which did not contain an antimicrobial agent.

In conclusion, the sample according to the comparative example has a lowered tensile strength and elongation when containing an antimicrobial agent, but the sample according to the example has an effect of maintaining the tensile strength and elongation.

4. Transparency Measurement

(1) Samples according to Examples and Comparative Examples were prepared in the same manner as in the above adhesive strength test.

(2) Haze (%) was measured to confirm the transparency of the sample according to the example and the sample according to the comparative example, and the result is shown in FIG.

As shown in Fig. 4, the samples according to Comparative Example 2 and Comparative Example 3 containing an inorganic antibacterial agent such as silver-silver or silver-zeolite showed a very high haze and it was confirmed that it was difficult to secure transparency. On the other hand, it was confirmed that the samples according to the Examples were almost equal in haze and transparent compared with the samples according to Comparative Example 1 and Comparative Example 4 which did not contain an antimicrobial agent.

In conclusion, when the sample according to the comparative example contains an inorganic antibacterial agent, there is a problem that it is not transparent, but the sample according to the embodiment can ensure transparency comparable to a sample not containing the antibacterial agent.

5. Antimicrobial Activity Test

(1) Preparation of sample according to Example: A sample (bag, Example 1) containing high density polyethylene and silver-zirconium (1 wt%) was prepared. A sample (glove, Example 2) comprising low density polyethylene, linear low density polyethylene and silver-zirconium (1% by weight) was prepared. A sample (zipper bag, Example 3) containing low density polyethylene and silver-zirconium (1 wt%) was prepared.

(2) The antibacterial activity of the samples according to Examples 1 to 3 according to ISO 22196 was measured. The materials and test conditions according to ISO 22196 are as shown in Table 1. The results of this antibacterial activity test are shown in Table 2. Referring to Table 2, in Examples 1 to 3, it was confirmed that the antibacterial effect was 5 or more and about 99.999% or more.

Antibacterial treatment specimen The samples according to Examples 1 to 3,
Area 50 mm X 50 mm Untreated specimen Standard film (Stomacher 400 poly bag film), area 50 mm X 50 mm Cover film Stomacher 400 poly bag film, area 40 mm X 40 mm Test strain Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 6538P
Escherichia coli ATCC 8739 Inoculation amount 0.4 ml Sterilization method of specimen 70% ethanol After surface sterilization, 30 min dry Culture conditions 37 ° C, 24 h Neutralization solution SCDLP solution, 10 ml

Strain Sample Initial number of bacteria immediately after inoculation After 24 hours Antimicrobial activity S. aureus Example 1 5.18 <1 5.48 Example 2 <1 5.48 Example 3 <1 5.48 Standard film 5.48 - E. coli Example 1 5.30 <1 5.57 Example 2 <1 5.57 Example 3 <1 5.57 Standard film 5.57 -

※ Unit: log (number of live cells observed)

※ Antimicrobial activity = log (U _t / A _t )

U _t : Number of viable cells after 24 hours in the untreated test pieces (average value)

A _t : Number of viable cells after 24 hours of antimicrobial treatment (average value)

6. Dispersion of Antimicrobial Agent Test

(1) Preparation of samples according to the examples: Samples were prepared with low density polyethylene and silver-zirconium, with the particle sizes of low density polyethylene and silver-zirconium being substantially the same.

(2) Preparation of Sample According to Comparative Example: A sample (Comparative Example 1) containing low density polyethylene and silver-zeolite and having a size of low density polyethylene about 3 times larger than that of silver-zeolite was prepared. A sample (Comparative Example 2) containing low density polyethylene and silver-zirconium and having a size of low density polyethylene about 3 times larger than that of silver-zirconium was prepared.

(3) For the samples according to the example and the comparative example 1, the component analysis was performed in three areas as shown in Fig. The analytical results of the samples according to the examples are shown in Table 3, and the analytical results of the samples according to Comparative Example 1 are shown in Table 4.

domain Zr (weight%) Spectrum 1 1.37 Spectrum 2 0.90 Spectrum 3 1.10

domain Si (weight%) Spectrum 1 0.23 Spectrum 2 0.00 Spectrum 3 0.28

From the content of Zr in each region in Table 3, the degree of dispersion of the antibacterial agent in the sample according to the embodiment can be known. In Table 4, the degree of dispersion of the antibacterial agent in the sample according to Comparative Example 1 can be determined from the content of Si in each region.

In Table 3, the Zr content was not large and the Zr was present in all three regions. However, in Table 4, it is confirmed that there is a region where the variation of Si content between regions is large and the content is 0.00, and there is a region where no antimicrobial agent is dispersed at all.

As a result, it was confirmed that the sample according to the Example had a remarkable dispersion effect of the antibacterial agent as compared with the sample according to Comparative Example 1.

(4) The sample according to Comparative Example 2 was subjected to the antibacterial activity test in the A region and the B region, that is, two regions as shown in Fig. The test for antibacterial activity was carried out according to ISO 22196. The results of the antimicrobial activity test are shown in Table 5.

Sample Initial number of bacteria immediately after inoculation After 24 hours Antimicrobial activity A region Comparative Example 2 1.3 X 10 ⁴ 4.9 X 10 ² 1.6 Standard film 1.3 X 10 ⁴ 1.9 X 10 ⁴ - B region Comparative Example 2 1.3 X 10 ⁴ 1.0 X 10 ² 3.9 Standard film 1.3 X 10 ⁴ 8.8 X 10 ⁵ -

Referring to Table 5, in Comparative Example 2, although silver-zirconium was used as an antimicrobial agent, it was confirmed that the difference in antimicrobiality between the A region and the B region was large due to the difference in particle size. Particularly, the area A exhibited an antibacterial activity of 1.6 or less and a bactericidal activity of 99% or less, indicating that the antibacterial activity of the present invention was not more than 99.9%. In other words, it was confirmed that the variation of the antibacterial activity increases with the variation of the particle size.

As a result, the sample according to the embodiment has a particle size similar to that of the polymer and the antibacterial agent, so that the antibacterial agent is well dispersed and can exhibit a uniform antibacterial activity.

Claims (8)

Polymer; And
An inorganic antibacterial agent,
Wherein the particle size of the inorganic antimicrobial agent is 0.8 to 1.2 times the particle size of the polymer. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the inorganic antimicrobial agent is silver-zirconium. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the content of the inorganic antibacterial agent is 0.5 to 1.5% by weight based on the total weight of the antibacterial article. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the polymer comprises low density polyethylene. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the polymer comprises high density polyethylene. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the polymer comprises low density polyethylene and linear low density polyethylene. The method according to claim 6,
An adhesive, and a lubricant. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein said antimicrobial article is a wrap, bag, zipper bag or glove.

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