Polyethylene (PE) is one of the most widely used polymers in many industrial applications. Biomedical uses seem to be attractive, with increasing interest. However, PE it prone to infections and its additional surface treatment is indispensable. An increase in resistance to infections can be achieved by treating PE surfaces with substances containing antibacterial groups such as triclosan (5-Chloro-2-(2,4-dichlorophenoxy)phenol) and chlorhexidine (1,1'-Hexamethylenebis[5-(4-chlorophenyl)biguanide]). This work has examined the impact of selected antibacterial substances immobilized on low-density polyethylene (LDPE) via polyacrylic acid (PAA) grafted on LDPE by low-temperature barrier discharge plasma. This LDPE surface treatment led to inhibition of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus adhesion; the first causes intestinal disease, peritonitis, mastitis, pneumonia, septicemia, the latter is the reason for wound and urinary tract infections.

Mixtures of poly(butylene-adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT) with thermoplastic starch (TPS) in a broad concentration range from 70:30 to 30:70 wt.% were prepared in a twin-screw extruder. Mechanical properties were tested, showing that the addition of TPS leads to a substantial decrease in the tensile strength as well as in the elongation at break, while Young’s modulus is rising substantially. Additional data were collected by dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), enabling a more detailed discussion on relations between ultimate properties and structural parameters. The application potential of biodegradable PBAT/TPS blends consists mainly in the substitution of polyethylene in packagings, where the material investigated is also economically competitive. The main advantage of adding TPS to PBAT is increasing the biobased carbon content cost-effectively, since most PBAT on the market is fossil-based.