Antifouling, Antibacterial, and Bioactive Polymer Coatings

Abstract

Adhesion of pathogenic microorganisms on various surfaces to form biofilm is a serious, but still actual problem in the medical and industrial applications, which receives considerable attention in both the academic and industrial researches. Numerous studies have been undertaken toward developing surfaces characterized by reduced tendency of bacterial attachment, leading to preventing subsequent biofilm formation or its easier removal. There are quite a lot of reports describing both the synthesis of novel bacteria-resistant constructional materials for different applications as well as antimicrobial coatings. In the present chapter, we focus on the characterization of antibacterial, bioactive, and antifouling polymer coatings, as a promising antimicrobial approach for fighting pathogens, paying a special attention to the recent progress made in this field, including the latest studies on controlling the release of antibacterial agents, enhancing the multifunctionality of polymer material, and improving their long-term stability. Antimicrobial polymer coatings are characterized by the following features: (1) antibacterial agent release (by discharging via diffusion into the aqueous medium, and eventual erosion/degradation or hydrolysis of covalent bonds by the antibacterial compounds), (2) contact killing (by disrupting microorganisms’ cell membranes by antimicrobial compounds), or (3) antiadhesion/bacteria-repelling (by forming microbial biofilms via noncytotoxic mechanisms).