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Polymers
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Advanced Antibacterial Polymers and Their Composites
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Advanced Antibacterial Polymers and Their Composites

A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Polymer Applications".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 May 2025 | Viewed by 2389

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Tippabattini Jayaramudu

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Guest Editor
The Herff College of Engineering Directory, Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Memphis, Memphis, TN, USA
Interests: biopolymers; polymeric hydrogels; nanocomposites
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Rajesh K. Sani

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Guest Editor
Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, Rapid City, SD, USA
Interests: biomaterials; exopolysaccharides; extremophilic bioprocessing; biocatalysis
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Varaprasad Kokkarachedu

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Guest Editor
Facultad de Ingeniería, Arquitectura y Diseño, Universidad San Sebastián, Concepción, Chile
Interests: bioactive hybrid nanomaterials; antibacterial; wound dressing; cancer; biowater purification
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

With an understanding of disease pathology, various strategies have been gradually established for guiding the preparation of novel advanced antibacterial polymers and their composites. Antibacterial polymers have emerged as promising materials for biomedical, environmental, and industrial applications due to their inherent antimicrobial properties. This Special Issue covers topics such as the design and synthesis of novel antibacterial polymers, the fabrication of antibacterial polymer-based composites, and their characterization, properties, and performance evaluation.

Contributions addressing the mechanisms of antibacterial activity, strategies for enhancing antimicrobial efficacy, and applications in wound healing, medical devices, antimicrobial coatings, and water treatment will be included. Overall, this Special Issue aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the recent advancements in antibacterial polymers and their potential applications in combating microbial infections and promoting public health. Considering your prominent contribution in this research area, we invite you to submit a high-quality  research article, or review article for this Special Issue, focusing on antibacterial polymers and their potential applications in combating microbial infections and promoting public health. 

Dr. Tippabattini Jayaramudu
Prof. Dr. Rajesh K. Sani
Dr. Varaprasad Kokkarachedu
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Polymers is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • biopolymers
  • polymeric materials
  • nanocomposites
  • inorganic nanoparticles
  • organic nanoparticles
  • nanomaterials
  • drug delivery
  • metal nanoparticles
  • biocompatible and biodegradable
  • antibacterial properties
  • nanocomposites
  • biomedical applications

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 2082 KiB  
Article
Antimicrobial Properties of a Novel PEGylated Copper Nanoparticle-Embedded Silicone Rubber with Potential for Use in Biomedical Applications
by Sara Ramírez Pastén, Carolina Paz Quezada, Carolina Arellano, Roberto M. Vidal, Alejandro Escobar, Faustino Alonso, Javier Villarroel, David A. Montero and María C. Paredes
Polymers 2025, 17(10), 1404; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym17101404 - 20 May 2025
Abstract
Background: Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) significantly increase morbidity, mortality, and healthcare costs. Among HAIs, catheter-associated infections are particularly prevalent due to the susceptibility of catheters to microbial contamination and biofilm formation, especially with prolonged use. Biofilms act as infection reservoirs, complicating treatment and [...] Read more.
Background: Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) significantly increase morbidity, mortality, and healthcare costs. Among HAIs, catheter-associated infections are particularly prevalent due to the susceptibility of catheters to microbial contamination and biofilm formation, especially with prolonged use. Biofilms act as infection reservoirs, complicating treatment and often requiring catheter removal, thus extending hospital stays and increasing costs. Recent technological advances in catheter design have focused on integrating antifouling and antimicrobial coatings to mitigate or prevent biofilm formation. Methods: We developed COPESIL®, a novel silicone rubber embedded with PEGylated copper nanoparticles designed to reduce microbial contamination on catheter surfaces. We conducted in vitro assays to evaluate the antimicrobial and antibiofilm efficacy of COPESIL® against pathogens commonly implicated in catheter-associated urinary tract infections. Additionally, the safety profile of the material was assessed through cytotoxicity evaluations using HepG2 cells. Results: COPESIL® demonstrated substantial antimicrobial activity, reducing contamination with Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae by >99.9% and between 93.2% and 99.8%, respectively. Biofilm formation was reduced by 5.2- to 7.9-fold for E. coli and 2.7- to 2.8-fold for K. pneumoniae compared to controls. Cytotoxicity assays suggest the material is non-toxic, with cell viability remaining above 95% after 24 h of exposure. Conclusions: The integration of PEGylated copper nanoparticles into a silicone matrix in COPESIL® represents a promising strategy to enhance the antimicrobial properties of catheters. Future studies should rigorously evaluate the long-term antimicrobial efficacy and clinical safety of COPESIL®-coated catheters, with a focus on their impact on patient outcomes and infection rates in clinical settings. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Antibacterial Polymers and Their Composites)
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16 pages, 3338 KiB  
Article
Hydrogen Production in Microbial Electrolysis Cells Using an Alginate Hydrogel Bioanode Encapsulated with a Filter Bag
by Lea Ouaknin Hirsch, Bharath Gandu, Abhishiktha Chiliveru, Irina Amar Dubrovin, Avinash Jukanti, Alex Schechter and Rivka Cahan
Polymers 2024, 16(14), 1996; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym16141996 - 12 Jul 2024
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Abstract
The bacterial anode of microbial electrolysis cells (MECs) is the limiting factor in a high hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). This study focused on improving biofilm attachment to a carbon-cloth anode using an alginate hydrogel. In addition, the modified bioanode was encapsulated by a [...] Read more.
The bacterial anode of microbial electrolysis cells (MECs) is the limiting factor in a high hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). This study focused on improving biofilm attachment to a carbon-cloth anode using an alginate hydrogel. In addition, the modified bioanode was encapsulated by a filter bag that served as a physical barrier, to overcome its low mechanical strength and alginate degradation by certain bacterial species in wastewater. The MEC based on an encapsulated alginate bioanode (alginate bioanode encapsulated by a filter bag) was compared with three controls: an MEC based on a bare bioanode (non-immobilized bioanode), an alginate bioanode, and an encapsulated bioanode (bioanode encapsulated by a filter bag). At the beginning of the operation, the Rct value for the encapsulated alginate bioanode was 240.2 Ω, which decreased over time and dropped to 9.8 Ω after three weeks of operation when the Geobacter medium was used as the carbon source. When the MECs were fed with wastewater, the encapsulated alginate bioanode led to the highest current density of 9.21 ± 0.16 A·m−2 (at 0.4 V), which was 20%, 95%, and 180% higher, compared to the alginate bioanode, bare bioanode, and encapsulated bioanode, respectively. In addition, the encapsulated alginate bioanode led to the highest reduction currents of (4.14 A·m−2) and HER of 0.39 m3·m−3·d−1. The relative bacterial distribution of Geobacter was 79%. The COD removal by all the bioanodes was between 62% and 88%. The findings of this study demonstrate that the MEC based on the encapsulated alginate bioanode exhibited notably higher bio-electroactivity compared to both bare, alginate bioanode, and an encapsulated bioanode. We hypothesize that this improvement in electron transfer rate is attributed to the preservation and the biofilm on the anode material using alginate hydrogel which was inserted into a filter bag. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Antibacterial Polymers and Their Composites)
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