Antimicrobial Silver Nitrate-doped Polyvinyl Chloride Cast Films: Influence of Solvent on Morphology and Mechanical Properties

Medical-grade polyvinyl chloride was modified by incorporation of silver nitrate in a concentration range from 0 to 5wt.% using a solvent casting technique. Agar diffusion test was performed to evaluate in-vitro antimicrobial properties of prepared samples. The obtained systems were characterized by tensile test, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and optical microscopy. The micrographs revealed a better morphological disposition of silver particles along the polyvinyl chloride matrix in the samples cast from N,N-dimethylformamide. Nevertheless, the applied modification did not appreciably influence the tensile properties of the prepared systems compared to the reference samples.