RT Journal Article T1 Antibacterial and compostable polymers derived from biobased itaconic acid as environmentally friendly additives for biopolymers A1 Chiloeches, Alberto A1 Cuervo Rodríguez, María Rocío A1 López-Fabal, Fátima A1 Fernández-García, Marta A1 Echeverría, Coro A1 Muñoz-Bonilla, Alexandra AB In this work, a series of antibacterial cationic copolymers derived from bio-sourced itaconic acid was studied as potential biobased active components in biodegradable formulations based on poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT) for packaging applications. These copolymers were first characterized by testing their antimicrobial activity against resistant bacterial strains, their biodegradability in compost conditions, and their thermal properties by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The antibacterial properties showed potent activity against Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), with MIC values as low as 78 μg mL􀀀 1. Related to their biodegradability, the cationic polymers biodegraded fast under compost conditions and even a priming effect was observed in the compost. Thermal properties, characterized by DSC and TGA, showed that the copolymers thermally degraded at temperature relatively low; nevertheless, they are able to be processed at temperatures up to ~150 ◦C. Subsequently, these antibacterial polymers were successfully blended as minor active component (10 wt%) with PBAT by melt-extrusion and press-compression molding. The resulting biopolymeric films exhibit potent antibacterial activity, which confirm that the cationic polymers incorporated as active component are able to perverse this activity after the processing and impart antibacterial properties to PBAT bioplastic. Therefore, these antibacterial biobased polymers derived from itaconic acid seem to be good candidates for applications related to active food packaging or even for biomedical devices. PB Elsevier SN 0142-9418 YR 2022 FD 2022 LK https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/101819 UL https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/101819 LA eng NO A. Chiloeches, R. Cuervo-Rodríguez, F. López-Fabal, M. Fernández-García, C. Echeverría, A. Muñoz-Bonilla. Antibacterial and compostable polymers derived from biobased itaconic acid as environmentally friendly additives for biopolymers. Polymer Testing. 2022 Mar 10; 109: 107541-49 NO Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (España) NO European Commission NO Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas DS Docta Complutense RD 21 abr 2025