Sodium alginate coupled with organosilane quaternary ammonium salt for the antibacterial application

Sodium alginate (SA) has been widely used in various fields of daily life. However, the lack of antibacterial properties of SA limits its further application. In this work, we successfully developed the antimicrobial SA derivative through the covalent coupling between organosilane quaternary ammonium salt DC-5700 (TSA) and SA using a one-pot reaction. The corresponding structures, molecular weights, morphologies, thermal properties, and viscosity of the SA-TSA samples were comprehensively characterized by FTIR, GPC, SEM, TGA, and rotational rheometer. The best antibacterial efficiency against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli can reach up to 99.6% and 99.3%, respectively. Specifically, great biocompatibility (> 80%) was observed when the concentration of best antibacterial SA-TSA3 was < 0.50 g/mL. Moreover, the antibacterial potential utility of antibacterial SA-TSA3 was demonstrated by the fabrication of SA beads. Finally, this antibacterial material of SA-TSA3 was expected to show great potential application in biomedical or textile fields. Graphical abstract