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Updated: Jul 31, 2026
Synthesis of Hydrogels with Antifouling Properties As Membranes for Water Purification
Published on: April 7, 2017
Metallo-Polyampholyte Hydrogel Based on a Y-Shaped Amphoteric Monomer with Robust Antibacterial and Antifouling
Qianyi Fang1, Jing Yan1, Weiwei Wang1
1Department of Chemistry, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Key Laboratory of Special Functional and Smart Polymer Materials of Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710129, China.
Abstract:
A Y-shaped metallo-amphoteric monomer with cobaltocenium as the cation and sulfonyl as the anion was synthesized and used to prepare the corresponding metallo-polyampholyte hydrogel (PAH). The cobaltocenium in the amphoteric system and its Y-shape may introduce tunable supramolecular interactions, providing regulation of hydration properties and biomedical performance. Such metallo-PAH showed a higher water swelling ratio and comparable mechanical performance in comparison with its organic counterpart, polysulfobetaine methacrylate hydrogel (SBMA-PAH). Moreover, the metallo-PAH showed a good inhibitory effect against Gram-negative bacteria, Gram-positive bacteria, as well as corresponding drug-resistant bacteria. Interestingly, it was found that the metallo-PAH achieved as high as 95% antifouling property against different proteins in both short-term (2 h) and long-term (24 h) tests, which is much better than that of the SBMA-PAH (<50%). It is believed that the concept of "metallo-polyampholyte" may expand the field of classical polyampholytes and related materials, thus opening up a new avenue to design powerful antifouling materials.
