On the quantification of biocidal activity of protective coatings

The conventional deposition/drying procedure results in the formation of cationic polymer coatings on glass slides that are capable of binding bacterial and yeast cells. A three-minute water treatment removes up to 80% of cells from the surface, and both the removed and remaining cells are dead. The results obtained clarify the mechanism of the biocidal action of adsorbed layers of poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) and the protocol for quantifying their biocidal activity.