New multifunctional bromine-active polymers: synthesis, properties, and antimicrobial activity

Abstract

The increase in the frequency and scale of epidemics of infectious diseases gives extreme urgency to the development of new technologies for antiseptic and disinfectant treatment of various media, as well as materials/reagents for their implementation. Antimicrobial polymer materials of various chemical structures, including those containing halogen-active functional groups, are promising in this regard. This work is devoted to the synthesis and investigation of the properties of granular and fibrous polymer materials with immobilized N-bromosulfonamide groups of different structure. It is shown that copolymers of styrene with divinylbenzene and polypropylene can be used as a carrier polymer. A technique has been developed that allows obtaining polymers with a content of up to 23 % of immobilized active bromine. The compliance of the synthesized materials with the declared structure has been proven by IR spectroscopy and a complex of chemical methods. A decrease in the strength of the obtained polymers compared to the original carriers has been observed, especially in the case of fibers. The stability of the synthesized polymers during storage is lower that of the previously described chlorine-active analogs. For the quantitative determination of active bromine in the target materials, a technique based on its rapid diffusion from the polymer into the taurine solution has been developed. Microbiological research has shown that the synthesized polymers have a pronounced antimicrobial activity, which is higher than that of immobilized N-chlorosulfonamides and is manifested even in the presence of a significant organic load. The set of investigated characteristics of synthesized polymers with immobilized N-bromosulfonamide groups suggests the prospect of their use as components of antiseptic dressing materials, antimicrobial filters, devices for obtaining antiseptic solutions, and other medical products