PMMA-N,N,N-trimethyl chitosan nanoparticles for fabrication of antibacterial natural rubber latex gloves

•TMC was synthesized and used as stabilizer for PMMA particles.•High conversion of PMMA–TMC was obtained due to the great hydrophilicity of TMC.•Superior stability of PMMA–TMC to PMMA–chitosan at pH 8–12 was demonstrated.•Electrostatic deposition of PMMA–TMC onto prevulcanized NR film was conducted.

This paper presents one-pot synthesis of N,N,N-trimethyl chitosan (TMC) stabilized poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) latex particles via the miniemulsion polymerization technique. From 1H NMR, synthesized TMC contains 52% degree of quaternization. Compared to native biopolymer chitosan, TMC possesses permanently positive charges as well as provides greater antibacterial activity. Combining properties of PMMA and TMC, PMMA–TMC latex nanoparticles (hydrodynamic size ≈282 nm) could be used in place of inorganic lubricating powder in fabrication of latex gloves at pH ≥7. After immersing sulphur prevulcanized natural rubber (SPNR) film into 3 wt% of PMMA–TMC latex at pH 7, significant amount of nanoparticles uniformly deposited onto SPNR film was observed under SEM. A number of nanoparticles present on film surface would increase surface roughness of the rubber film and potentially inhibit the bacterial (Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus) growth, which would be useful for fabrication of special gloves with antibacterial property.