Polymer–filler interactions play a major role in determining the antibacterial activity of organoclay in nanocomposites. The objective of the current study was to determine the effect of polymer type on the antibacterial properties of an organically modified clay – cloisite 10A (C10A) – using poly-ε-caprolactone (PCL) and poly-L-lactic acid (PLA) polymeric systems. Nanocomposite characterization using atomic force microscopy (AFM) showed an increase in roughness upon addition of the clay mineral, and X-ray diffraction (XRD) showed intercalation of the selected polymers into the interlayer spaces of the clay. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis supported the XRD findings. C10A in PCL thin films enhanced the bactericidal activity against Staphylococcus aureus when compared to the C10A in PLA. The observed change could be the result of pronounced levels of interaction between the filler and polymer matrix in the C10A-PLA nanocomposite when compared to C10A-PCL. The higher interaction levels could hinder the diffusion of bactericidal agents from the nanocomposite membranes. The present study provided insight into the nature of interaction between nanocomposite components and its impact on bioactivity, which can have applications in terms of generating engineered antibacterial materials.

聚合物-填料相互作用在确定纳米复合材料中有机粘土的抗菌活性方面起着重要作用。本研究的目的是确定聚合物类型对有机改性粘土的抗菌性能的影响 - cloisite 10A (C10A) - 使用聚-ε-己内酯 (PCL) 和聚-L-乳酸 (PLA) 聚合物系统。使用原子力显微镜 (AFM) 进行的纳米复合材料表征显示，添加粘土矿物后粗糙度增加，X 射线衍射 (XRD) 显示所选聚合物嵌入粘土的层间空间。透射电子显微镜 (TEM) 分析支持 XRD 发现。PCL薄膜中的C10A增强了对金黄色葡萄球菌的杀菌活性与 PLA 中的 C10A 相比。与 C10A-PCL 相比，观察到的变化可能是 C10A-PLA 纳米复合材料中填料和聚合物基质之间显着相互作用水平的结果。较高的相互作用水平可能会阻碍杀菌剂从纳米复合膜扩散。本研究提供了对纳米复合材料组分之间相互作用的性质及其对生物活性的影响的深入了解，这可以在产生工程抗菌材料方面得到应用。