Smart Copolymer Surface Derived from Geminized Cationic Amphiphilic Polymers for Reversibly Switchable Bactericidal and Self-Cleaning Abilities

Langmuir. 2023 Aug 1;39(30):10521-10529. doi: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.3c01005. Epub 2023 Jul 17.

Abstract

Bacterial adhesion and colonization on material surfaces pose a serious problem for healthcare-associated devices. Cationic amphiphilic polymer brushes are usually used as surface coatings in antibacterial materials to endow an interface with excellent bactericidal efficiency, but they are easily contaminated, which puts a great limitation on their application. Herein, novel antibacterial copolymer brush surfaces containing geminized cationic amphiphilic polymers (pAGC8) and thermoresponsive poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) polymers (pNIPAm) have been synthesized. Surface functionalization of polymer brushes was investigated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, spectroscopic ellipsometry, atomic force microscopy, and water contact angle measurements. A proportion of AGC8 and NIPAm units in copolymer brushes has been adjusted to obtain a high-efficiency bactericidal surface with minimal interference to its self-cleaning property. The killing and releasing efficiency of the optimized surface simultaneously reached up to above 80% for both Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli bacteria, and the bactericidal and self-cleaning abilities are still excellent even after three kill-release cycles. Such a novel copolymer brush system provides innovative guidance for the development of high-efficiency antibacterial materials in biomedical application.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents* / chemistry
  • Anti-Bacterial Agents* / pharmacology
  • Escherichia coli / chemistry
  • Photoelectron Spectroscopy
  • Polymers* / chemistry
  • Polymers* / pharmacology
  • Staphylococcus aureus / chemistry
  • Surface Properties

Substances

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents
  • Polymers