Synthesis and Characterization of Poly(3-Sulfopropylmethacrylate) Brushes for Potential Antibacterial Applications

Abstract

This article describes the aqueous atom transfer radical polymerization synthesis of poly(3-sulfopropylmethacrylate) brushes onto gold and Si/SiO2 surfaces in a controlled manner. The effect of Cu(I)/Cu(II) ratio was examined, and a quartz crystal microbalance was used to study the kinetics of the brush synthesis. The synthesized brushes displayed a thickness from a few nanometers to several hundred nanometers and were characterized using atomic force microscopy, ellipsometry, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), contact angle measurements, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The as-synthesized sulfonate brushes had very good ion-exchange properties for the ions tested in this study, i.e., Na+, K+, Cu2+, and Ag+. FTIR and XPS show that the metal ions are coordinating to sulfonate moieties inside the brushes. The brushes were easily loaded with silver ions, and the effect of silver ion concentration on silver loading of the brush was examined. The silver-loaded brushes were shown to be antibacterial toward both gram negative and gram positive bacteria. The silver leaching was studied through leaching experiments into water, NaNO3, and NaCl (physiological medium). The results from these leaching experiments are compared and discussed in the article.

Charged hydrophilic polymer brushes and their relevance for understanding marine biofouling

“…This polymer has antimicrobial properties against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria (Lee et al 2004, Liu et al 2007, Rawlinson et al 2010. The anionic PSPMA has also been reported to reduce bacterial adhesion and to inhibit the growth of bacteria due to high surface hydration resulting from solvation of the sulfonate groups (Guo et al 2013, Ramstedt et al 2007, and also result in lower attachment of E. coli and delayed growth of biofilm in membrane filtration tests (Wibisono et al 2015).…”

Solid-state encapsulation of Ag and sulfadiazine on zeolite Y carrier

“…They have been recognized as excellent antimicrobial agents because of their effective biocide ability and nontoxicity to human cells [2][3][4][5][6]. According to Bonde et al [7] the activity of standard antibiotics was significantly increased in the presence of silver nanoparticles and that can be used effectively against antibiotic-resistant pathogens.…”

Surface Initiated Polymerizations via e-ATRP in Pure Water

“…[1][2][3][4][5][6][7]. The controlled/living character of the polymerization allows for the creation of well-defined films even providing block-copolymer compositions with a controlled thickness for a widespread of applications e.g., in antimicrobial [8,9] and protective coatings preventing adsorption of plasma proteins and platelets [10,11], protein affinity layers [12,13] and responsive films [14,15]. In these applications, precise control over the polymerization properties is imperative since delicate changes can result in repulsion layers or affinity layers [16].…”