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Polymers in Antimicrobial and Antifouling Materials

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A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Biomacromolecules, Biobased and Biodegradable Polymers".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 January 2023) | Viewed by 9443

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Irena Maliszewska

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Guest Editor

Department of Organic and Medicinal Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, Wrocław University of Science and Technology, Wybrzeże Wyspiańskiego 27, 50-370 Wrocław, Poland
Interests: synthesis of metallic nanoparticles; nanofibers; antimicrobial activity; photodynamic therapy
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Tomasz Czapka

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Guest Editor

Department of Electrical Engineering Fundamentals, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, Wyb. Wyspianskiego 27, 50370 Wroclaw, Poland
Interests: materials science; dielectric materials; polymers; nonthermal plasma; electrical engineering; high-voltage technology; high-voltage insulation

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Biofilms and biofouling present serious threats to human health and financial losses in marine and industrial areas, as well as in agriculture. Antifouling and anti-biofilm strategies apply to all systems that prevent an organism from attaching to a surface. The search for effective, green and non-toxic technologies to prevent all types of bioadhesion and biofilm (including biofouling) in relation to any natural and artificial surfaces and environments has been a critical challenge in recent years. Novel materials (metals, polymers, hydrogels and ceramics, in various forms such as fibers, foams, films or gels) and physical strategies can support antibacterial and antifouling methods, as they can kill or inhibit the growth of microorganisms on their surface or in their surroundings with extreme efficiency, low toxicity and negligible environmental problems.

Prof. Dr. Irena Maliszewska
Dr. Tomasz Czapka
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

antibacterial materials
antifouling materials
biofouling prevention
self-cleaning surface
antibacterial mechanisms
antifouling coatings
biological molecules
surface modification
biofilms
microbial attachment
biofilm formation
bacterial adhesion
biomaterials
antimicrobial coatings
antibacterial modification
biocides
biocidal activity
multidrug-resistant bacteria
antibiotic-resistant bacteria
antimicrobial properties
antifouling properties
anti-infection materials

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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13 pages, 3314 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Self-Assembly of Homo- and Hetero-Chiral Cyclodipeptides into Supramolecular Polymers towards Antimicrobial Gels

by Beatrice Rosetti, Erica Scarel, Laura Colomina-Alfaro, Simone Adorinni, Giovanni Pierri, Ottavia Bellotto, Kevin Mamprin, Maurizio Polentarutti, Antonella Bandiera, Consiglia Tedesco and Silvia Marchesan

Polymers 2022, 14(21), 4554; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14214554 - 27 Oct 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1811

Abstract

There is an increasing interest towards the development of new antimicrobial coatings, especially in light of the emergence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) towards common antibiotics. Cyclodipeptides (CDPs) or diketopiperazines (DKPs) are attractive candidates for their ability to self-assemble into supramolecular polymers and yield gel coatings that do not persist in the environment. In this work, we compare the antimicrobial cyclo(Leu-Phe) with its heterochiral analogs cyclo(D-Leu-L-Phe) and cyclo(L-Leu-D-Phe), as well as cyclo(L-Phe-D-Phe), for their ability to gel. The compounds were synthesized, purified by HPLC, and characterized by ¹H-NMR, ¹³C-NMR, and ESI-MS. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction (XRD) revealed details of the intermolecular interactions within the supramolecular polymers. The DKPs were then tested for their cytocompatibility on fibroblast cells and for their antimicrobial activity on S. aureus. Overall, DKPs displayed good cytocompatibility and very mild antimicrobial activity, which requires improvement towards applications. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymers in Antimicrobial and Antifouling Materials)

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18 pages, 6993 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Use of 3D Optical Coherence Tomography to Analyze the Architecture of Cyanobacterial Biofilms Formed on a Carbon Nanotube Composite

by Maria J. Romeu, Marta Lima, Luciana C. Gomes, Ed. D. de Jong, João Morais, Vítor Vasconcelos, Manuel F. R. Pereira, Olívia S. G. P. Soares, Jelmer Sjollema and Filipe J. Mergulhão

Polymers 2022, 14(20), 4410; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14204410 - 19 Oct 2022

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2241

Abstract

The development of environmentally friendly antifouling strategies for marine applications is of paramount importance, and the fabrication of innovative nanocomposite coatings is a promising approach. Moreover, since Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) is a powerful imaging technique in biofilm science, the improvement of its analytical power is required to better evaluate the biofilm structure under different scenarios. In this study, the effect of carbon nanotube (CNT)-modified surfaces in cyanobacterial biofilm development was assessed over a long-term assay under controlled hydrodynamic conditions. Their impact on the cyanobacterial biofilm architecture was evaluated by novel parameters obtained from three-dimensional (3D) OCT analysis, such as the contour coefficient, total biofilm volume, biovolume, volume of non-connected pores, and the average size of non-connected pores. The results showed that CNTs incorporated into a commercially used epoxy resin (CNT composite) had a higher antifouling effect at the biofilm maturation stage compared to pristine epoxy resin. Along with a delay in biofilm development, a decrease in biofilm wet weight, thickness, and biovolume was also achieved with the CNT composite compared to epoxy resin and glass (control surfaces). Additionally, biofilms developed on the CNT composite were smoother and presented a lower porosity and a strictly packed structure when compared with those formed on the control surfaces. The novel biofilm parameters obtained from 3D OCT imaging are extremely important when evaluating the biofilm architecture and behavior under different scenarios beyond marine applications. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymers in Antimicrobial and Antifouling Materials)

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Review

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32 pages, 6130 KiB

Open AccessReview

Electrospun Polymer Nanofibers with Antimicrobial Activity

by Irena Maliszewska and Tomasz Czapka

Polymers 2022, 14(9), 1661; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14091661 - 20 Apr 2022

Cited by 57 | Viewed by 4990

Abstract

Nowadays, nanofibers with antimicrobial activity are of great importance due to the widespread antibiotic resistance of many pathogens. Electrospinning is a versatile method of producing ultrathin fibers with desired properties, and this technique can be optimized by controlling parameters such as solution/melt viscosity, feeding rate, and electric field. High viscosity and slow feeding rate cause blockage of the spinneret, while low viscosity and high feeding rate result in fiber discontinuities or droplet formation. The electric field must be properly set because high field strength shortens the solidification time of the fluid streams, while low field strength is unable to form the Taylor cone. Environmental conditions, temperature, and humidity also affect electrospinning. In recent years, significant advances have been made in the development of electrospinning methods and the engineering of electrospun nanofibers for various applications. This review discusses the current research on the use of electrospinning to fabricate composite polymer fibers with antimicrobial properties by incorporating well-defined antimicrobial nanoparticles (silver, titanium dioxide, zinc dioxide, copper oxide, etc.), encapsulating classical therapeutic agents (antibiotics), plant-based bioactive agents (crude extracts, essential oils), and pure compounds (antimicrobial peptides, photosensitizers) in polymer nanofibers with controlled release and anti-degradation protection. The analyzed works prove that the electrospinning process is an effective strategy for the formation of antimicrobial fibers for the biomedicine, pharmacy, and food industry. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymers in Antimicrobial and Antifouling Materials)

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