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Updated: Sep 22, 2025

High-throughput Identification of Bacteria Repellent Polymers for Medical Devices
Published on: November 5, 2016
A universal biocompatible coating for enhanced lubrication and bacterial inhibition
Di Suo1, Jingdong Rao1, Haimang Wang2
1Department of Biomedical Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China. xin.zhao@polyu.edu.hk.
Abstract:
Antibacterial coatings that inhibit bacterial adhesion are essential for many implanted medical devices. A variety of antibacterial strategies, such as repelling or killing bacteria, have been developed, but not yet been completely successful. Here, we develop a universal biocompatible coating for enhanced lubrication and bacterial inhibition. The coating is designed based on mussel-inspired surface-attachable dopamine bases and consists of lubricating zwitterionic polymers poly(2-methacryloxyethyl phosphorylcholine) (MPC) and a bacterial membrane destroying anti-bacteria molecule poly(3-hydroxybutyric acid) (PHB). The coating boasts strong adhesion to surfaces of various materials (such as polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)/ceramic/316L stainless steel (316L SS); it is biocompatible, and cell/platelet/bacteria repelling, significantly inhibiting bacterial growth. We envision that our strategy represents a universal strategy for surface functionalization of a variety of biomedical devices and implants.
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