Comparable Studies on Nanoscale Antibacterial Polymer Coatings Based on Different Coating Procedures

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Biotechnology
• Surface Chemistry

Background:

• Metallic medical devices are susceptible to bacterial contamination, leading to infections.
• Developing effective, non-leaching antibacterial surface coatings is crucial for improving patient safety.
• Quaternary ammonium compounds (QAC) are known for their antimicrobial properties.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the antibacterial efficacy of novel, metal-free thin polymer coatings.
• To compare two different polymerization methods for applying QAC coatings onto titanium (Ti) surfaces.
• To assess the cytocompatibility and antimicrobial performance of the developed coatings.

Main Methods:

• Preparation of two monomeric QAC with varying alkyl chain lengths based on vinyl benzyl chloride (VBC).
• Application of QAC coatings onto Ti surfaces using atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) and a copolymerization/drop coating method with phosphonate monomers (VBPOH).
• Characterization of coatings using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS); assessment of cytocompatibility (Live/Dead, WST-1 assays) and antimicrobial activity (CFU, BTG assays).

Main Results:

• XPS confirmed nanomolecular film thickness for both coating methods.
• In vitro assays demonstrated excellent cytocompatibility of the polymer coatings.
• Both ATRP and drop-coating methods yielded similar, effective results in killing bacteria on contact.

Conclusions:

• Antibacterial polymer coatings based on QAC can be successfully applied to Ti surfaces.
• The developed coatings provide a simple and effective strategy to prevent microbial contamination on metallic devices.
• These metal-free coatings represent a promising approach for enhancing the safety of medical implants and instruments.