Issue 45, 2022

Surface antimicrobial functionalization with polymers: fabrication, mechanisms and applications

Abstract

Undesirable adhesion of microbes such as bacteria, fungi and viruses onto surfaces affects many industries such as marine, food, textile, and healthcare. In particular in healthcare and food packaging, the effects of unwanted microbial contamination can be life-threatening. With the current global COVID-19 pandemic, interest in the development of surfaces with superior anti-viral and anti-bacterial activities has multiplied. Polymers carrying anti-microbial properties are extensively used to functionalize material surfaces to inactivate infection-causing and biocide-resistant microbes including COVID-19. This review aims to introduce the fabrication of polymer-based antimicrobial surfaces through physical and chemical modifications, followed by the discussion of the inactivation mechanisms of conventional biocidal agents and new-generation antimicrobial macromolecules in polymer-modified antimicrobial surfaces. The advanced applications of polymer-based antimicrobial surfaces on personal protective equipment against COVID-19, food packaging materials, biomedical devices, marine vessels and textiles are also summarized to express the research trend in academia and industry.

Graphical abstract: Surface antimicrobial functionalization with polymers: fabrication, mechanisms and applications

Article information

Article type
Review Article
Submitted
22 jul. 2022
Accepted
03 oct. 2022
First published
14 nov. 2022

J. Mater. Chem. B, 2022,10, 9349-9368

Surface antimicrobial functionalization with polymers: fabrication, mechanisms and applications

C. Wang, N. E. B. Surat'man, J. J. Q. Mah, C. Qu and Z. Li, J. Mater. Chem. B, 2022, 10, 9349 DOI: 10.1039/D2TB01555B

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