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High-throughput Identification of Bacteria Repellent Polymers for Medical Devices
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Self-Adaptive Antibacterial Coating for Universal Polymeric Substrates Based on a Micrometer-Scale Hierarchical
Tingwu Liu1,2, Shunjie Yan1,3, Rongtao Zhou1,3
1State Key Laboratory of Polymer Physics and Chemistry, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130022, P. R. China.
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces
|September 2, 2020
Summary
Researchers developed a novel antibacterial surface using hierarchical polymer brushes on common plastics. This smart surface prevents initial bacterial adhesion and releases antimicrobial peptides in response to bacterial growth, offering a promising strategy for medical devices.
Area of Science:
- Polymer Science
- Materials Science
- Biomedical Engineering
Background:
- Surface-tethered hierarchical polymer brushes are crucial for antibacterial surfaces.
- Current methods are limited to inorganic substrates, hindering medical device applications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a hierarchical polymer brush system on polymeric substrates for antibacterial applications.
- To create a responsive surface that combats bacterial infection through multiple mechanisms.
Main Methods:
- Facile construction of a micrometer-thick hierarchical polymer brush system via light living graft polymerization.
- Design of a dual-layer system: a poly(hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (PHEMA) outer layer and an inner anionic layer loaded with cationic antimicrobial peptide (AMP).
Main Results:
- The PHEMA layer inhibits initial bacterial adhesion via hydration.
- Bacterial-induced acidification triggers cleavage of amide bonds, exposing amines and releasing melittin (MLT) to kill bacteria.
- The system demonstrates high sensitivity and responsiveness to pathogens.
Conclusions:
- A new paradigm for intelligent surfaces on universal polymer substrates is presented.
- This modular hierarchical polymer brush system shows great potential for preventing medical device-related infections.
Keywords:
charge conversionhierarchical polymer brushlight living graft polymerizationmicrometer-scale thicknessself-adaptive antibacterial
