Role of Copper Ions in Resistance of Modern Polymer Composite Materials to Fungal Damage

Resistance of polymer composite materials to biodamage is one of the pressing problems of our time. Incorporation of Cu₂O (I) in the composition of a polymer composite based on the ED-20 epoxy resin increases its biocidal properties. Under conditions of mineral and organic contamination, the area of the samples affected by micromycetes was found to decrease with increasing concentration of dispersed particles in the composite. The affected area of the samples filled with the particles encapsulated in polylactide was 1.5 times smaller than that of the composites filled with non-encapsulated particles. Copper oxide had a toxic effect on the Aspergillus niger strain dominant on the surface of the samples, causing a decrease in the average radial growth rate on the Czapek–Dox agar medium and in the biomass weight concentration during the growth of micromycetes in a liquid medium compared to the variant without Cu₂O.