Conversion of the Hydrophobic Surface of Polyurethane into a Hydrophilic Surface Using the Graft Polymerization of 2-(dimethylamino) ethyl Methacrylate and the Resulting Antifungal Effect

A hydrophobic polyurethane (PU) was altered to obtain a hydrophilic characteristic using the graft polymerization of 2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methylmethacrylate (DAMA) onto the PU surface and the subsequent ionization of the dimethylamino group on poly(DAMA). The grafted poly(DAMA) chain influenced numerous properties, such as the cross-link density, thermal transitions of soft segments, and tensile and shape memory characteristics. The grafting of poly(DAMA) noticeably enhanced the breaking tensile stress and shape recovery capability through the cross-linking between the grafted poly(DAMA)s, but the breaking tensile strain and the shape retention did not noticeably decline after the grafting of poly(DAMA). Additionally, the poly(DAMA)-grafted PU exhibited a significant enhancement in its low temperature flexibility and antifungal effectiveness against a mixture of fungi.