Click grafting of seaweed polysaccharides onto PVC surfaces using an ionic liquid as solvent and catalyst

Seaweed antibacterial polysaccharides were grafted onto poly(vinylchloride) (PVC) surfaces using an original click chemistry pathway. PVC isothiocyanate surfaces (PVC–NCS) were first prepared by nucleophilic substitution of the chloride groups by isothiocyanate groups in DMSO/water medium. Then, unmodified Ulvan, Fucan, Laminarin or Zosterin was directly grafted onto the PVC–NCS surface using 1-ethyl-3-methyl imidazolium phosphate, an ionic liquid, as solvent and catalyst. To attest the grafting effectiveness, the new PVC surfaces were well characterized by AFM, XPS and contact angle measurements.