Preparation of CO₂‐Based Cationic Polycarbonate/Polyacrylonitrile Nanofibers with an Optimal Fibrous Microstructure for Antibacterial Applications

Abstract

Utilizing CO 2 as one of the monomer resources, poly(vinylcyclohexene carbonates) (PVCHCs) are used as the precursor for preparing cationic PVCHCs (CPVCHCs) via thiol-ene click functionalization. Through the functionalization, CPVCHC-43 with a tertiary amine density of 43% relative to the backbone is able to display a significantly antibacterial ability against Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus). Blending CPVCHC-43 with polyacrylonitrile (PAN), CPVCHC/PAN nanofiber meshes (NFMs) have been successfully prepared by electrospinning. More importantly, two crucial fibrous structural factors including CPVCHC/PAN weight ratio and fiber diameter have been systematically investigated for the effects on the antibacterial performance of the NFMs. Sequentially, a quaternization treatment has been employed on the NFMs with an optimal fibrous structure to enhance the antibacterial ability. The resulting quaternized NFMs have demonstrated the great biocidal effects against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Moreover, the excellent biocompatibility of the quaternized NFMs have also been thoroughly evaluated and verified.

Post-polymerization functionalization of aliphatic polycarbonates using click chemistry

“…With the aim of synthesizing biodegradable polymeric surfactants, functional poly(cyclohexene carbonate)s have been obtained via thiol–ene click reactions following the copolymerization of VCHO or VCHO/CHO and CO 2 . 61,67 That is, 2-(diethylamino)ethanethiol hydrochloride (DEAET) was anchored onto these polycarbonates by way of a UV-radiated thiol–ene click mechanism with subsequent conversion into nanoparticles via a mini-emulsion interfacial cross-linking technique. 67 In this manner, two different DEAET functionalized polycarbonates were examined for their antimicrobial and antitumor activities.…”

“…In order to have additional biomedical applications, the cationic copolymer having a tertiary amine density of 43% relative to the backbone was blended with polyacrylonitrile (PAN) to form nanofiber meshes via electrospinning (Scheme 5b). 61 Other related studies utilized terpolymers derived from CHO/VCHO/CO 2 functionalized with DEAET to various extent to treat osteosarcoma by acting as efficient synthetic gene vectors. The expression of the polo-like kinase 1 (PLK1) gene in osteosarcoma cells was significantly suppressed when employing polycarbonate/siRNA nanoparticles for treatment.…”

Sericin/Human Placenta-Derived Extracellular Matrix Scaffolds for Cutaneous Wound Treatment—Preparation, Characterization, In Vitro and In Vivo Analyses

“…Biomaterial-based wound dressing has the advantage of providing an appropriate microenvironment for proper cell adhesion and proliferation to repair the structural and physiological characteristics of the wound [ 7 ]. It also serves as an active barrier against micro-organisms, allows gaseous exchange, and absorbs wound exudates [ 8 , 9 , 10 ]. Current research is focused on preparing novel wound dressing materials from naturally occurring resources for efficient tissue repair and regeneration.…”

Development of Biocompatible Ciprofloxacin–Gold Nanoparticle Coated Sutures for Surgical Site Infections

“…Polymeric biomaterials have attracted the interest of medical researchers in recent years. One of the important applications of these biomaterials is in the field of medical devices, such as implants [ 1 , 2 ], sutures, catguts, ligatures, gauzes [ 3 , 4 ], antimicrobial polymers [ 5 ], hydrogels [ 6 ], and nanofibers [ 7 ]. Surgical sutures are used to sew an incision and close a wound to prevent pathogens from infecting the wound and enhance its healing [ 8 ].…”