Antibacterial poly(ethyl methacrylate) surfaces constructed by facile amination with polyethyleneimine of different architectures

Yu Zhao; Yunyun Xue; Chuyao Wang; Zihao Zhao; Ronglu Cui; Baoku Zhu

doi:10.1016/j.colsurfb.2024.114458

Antibacterial poly(ethyl methacrylate) surfaces constructed by facile amination with polyethyleneimine of different architectures

Colloids Surf B Biointerfaces. 2024 Dec 16:248:114458. doi: 10.1016/j.colsurfb.2024.114458. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Yu Zhao¹, Yunyun Xue², Chuyao Wang¹, Zihao Zhao¹, Ronglu Cui¹, Baoku Zhu³

Affiliations

¹ Key Laboratory of Macromolecular Synthesis and Functionalization (Ministry of Education), Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China.
² Key Laboratory of Macromolecular Synthesis and Functionalization (Ministry of Education), Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China; Center of Healthcare Materials, Shaoxing Institute, Zhejiang University, Shaoxing 312000, China.
³ Key Laboratory of Macromolecular Synthesis and Functionalization (Ministry of Education), Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China; Center of Healthcare Materials, Shaoxing Institute, Zhejiang University, Shaoxing 312000, China. Electronic address: zhubk@zju.edu.cn.

PMID: 39724827
DOI: 10.1016/j.colsurfb.2024.114458

Abstract

Polymethacrylate and its derivatives are widely used in food industry and biomedical applications for their plasticity, biocompatibility and optical transparency. However, susceptibility to bacterial growth on their surfaces limits their applications. In this study, linear and branched polyethyleneimine (PEI) molecules were grafted onto poly(ethyl methacrylate) (PEMA) via aminolysis using a simple one-step method to enhance the antibacterial properties of PEMA films. PEI-modified PEMA films were characterized by ATR-FTIR, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA). The modified films exhibited optimal bactericidal efficiency of 98.0 % against Escherichia coli (E. coli) and over 99.9 % against Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus). Furthermore, hydrolysis was found to contribute to anchoring PEI onto PEMA as well. Though branched PEI exhibited a higher grafting amount than the linear ones under same conditions, PEMA modified with linear PEI presented a similar or even higher antibacterial efficiency than those grafted with branched PEI. Overall, PEI-grafted PEMA films prepared with simple one-step method exhibit effective antibacterial properties and good biocompatibilities, making them promising candidates for biomedical devices and other applications.

Keywords: Amination; Aminolysis; Antibacterial surface; Polyethyleneimine.