Hydroxyethyl cellulose/bentonite/magnetite hybrid materials: structure, physicochemical properties, and antifungal activity

Bentonite/magnetite powder was synthesized and characterized using laser diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, low-temperature nitrogen adsorption-desorption technique, and magnetization measurements, revealing it to be a ferromagnetic material with mesopores. Hydroxyethyl cellulose was filled with bentonite/magnetite particles by mechanical dispersion to produce hybrid film materials that were studied using various methods. X-ray diffraction analysis showed that the interlayer distance in the clay was increased due to intercalation of polymer molecules. A concentration effect of the filling agent on the tensile properties of the hybrid material was revealed. Infrared (IR) spectrometry indicated an increase in the density of the hydrogen-bonding network. Microbiological tests showed that the HEC/bentonite/magnetite films exhibited antifungal effect against Candida albicans.