Durable Anti-Superbug Polymers: Covalent Bonding of Ionic Liquid onto the Polymer Chains

Biomacromolecules. 2017 Dec 11;18(12):4364-4372. doi: 10.1021/acs.biomac.7b01416. Epub 2017 Nov 16.

Abstract

Here, we fabricated the ionic liquid (IL) grafted poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) (PVDF-g-IL) via electron-beam irradiation to fight common bacteria and multidrug-resistant "superbugs". Two types of ILs, 1-vinyl-3-butylimmidazolium chloride (IL (Cl)) and 1-vinyl-3-ethylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate (IL (BF4)), were used. It was found that the PVDF-g-IL exhibited superior antibacterial performance, with almost the same mechanical and thermal performance as unmodified PVDF. Nonwovens and films made from PVDF-g-IL materials exhibited broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity against common bacteria and "superbugs" with the strong electrostatic interactions between ILs and microbial cell membranes. With extremely low IL loading (0.05 wt %), the cell reduction of PVDF-g-IL (Cl) nonwovens improved from 0.2 to 4.4 against S. aureus. Moreover, the antibacterial activity of PVDF-g-IL nonwovens was permanent for the covalent bonds between ILs and polymer chains. The work provides a simple strategy to immobilize ionic antibacterial agents onto polymer substrates, which may have great potential applications in healthcare and household applications.

MeSH terms

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / chemistry*
  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / pharmacology*
  • Bacteria / drug effects*
  • Ionic Liquids / chemistry*
  • Ions / chemistry*
  • Polymers / chemistry*
  • Polyvinyls / chemistry
  • Static Electricity
  • Surface Properties

Substances

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents
  • Ionic Liquids
  • Ions
  • Polymers
  • Polyvinyls
  • polyvinylidene fluoride