Antifouling and antibacterial hydrogel coatings with self-healing properties
Multifunctional self-healing hydrogel coatings based on a dynamic disulfide exchange reaction were developed via surface-initiated thiol-ene photopolymerisation.
The functional monomers (poly(ethylene glycol)methyl ether methacrylate (PEGMA), N-hydroxyethyl acrylamide (HEAA) and 2-(methacryloyloxy)ethyl trimethylammonium chloride (META)) and a disulfide-containing crosslinker bis(2-methacryloyl)oxyethyl disulfide (BMOD) were employed for the preparation of antifouling, antibacterial and self-healing hydrogel coatings.
Good self-healing ability at moderate temperatures
The hydrogel coatings reduced protein adsorption, as well as bacterial adhesion from Gram-negative Escherichia coli (E. coli). Moreover, the coatings exhibited good self-healing ability at moderate temperatures due to the dynamic disulfide exchange reaction. Introduction of self-healing ability provides a promising means for self-repairing of microcracks of functional polymer coatings and improving their stability and durability in the long-term applications as biomaterials.
The study is published in: Polymer Chemistry, Issue 39, 2015.
