Antimicrobial Properties of Polymers

Dear Colleagues,

Microbial infections have become a major concern worldwide today, resulting in increased morbidity and mortality, especially in the healthcare and industrial fields, where people are generally more vulnerable and exposed to a large spectrum of bacteria. Moreover, the widespread use of antibiotics along with the possibility of recontamination of materials and surfaces sterilized through physical and chemical methods have determined the bacteria to adapt, leading to so-called multidrug resistance (MDR).

Therefore, there is a strong need to design and synthesize antimicrobial polymers as an alternative strategy to combat resistance development in bacteria. Polymers with inherent antimicrobial activity such as chitosan, poly‐ε‐lysine or quaternary ammonium compounds or that have the capacity to be conjugated with other antimicrobial compounds can also be used either for the direct elimination of microorganisms or for food packaging of perishable products, antimicrobial coatings of medical instruments or as components of implantable biomedical devices to prevent infection.

Through their unique structure and functional groups, antimicrobial polymers or their grafted derivatives often generate antimicrobial activity with greater resistance to microbial adhesion and biofilm formation rendering various substrates or materials antimicrobial.

Related topics in this Special Issue include:

• Mechanism of interaction of bacteria with polymers with antimicrobial properties;
• Characterization of the antimicrobial activity of polymers;
• Adhesion of microbial agents to polymeric materials.

Other topics include:

• Synthesis, characterization and processing of novel antimicrobial polymers;
• Polymers with antimicrobial properties for food packaging;
• Coatings of medical instruments with polymers with antimicrobial properties;
• Polymers with antimicrobial character as components of implantable biomedical devices;
• Antimicrobial polymers for anti-biofilm medical devices;
• Polymeric systems as antimicrobial or antifouling agents.

Dr. Loredana E. Nita
Dr. Alina Gabriela Rusu
Guest Editors

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