Antimicrobial polymers are important in the field of medicine as they are able to kill bacteria and reduce bioburden by mechanisms that differ from traditional antibiotics. Due to their different mechanism of action, antimicrobial resistance is less likely to occur, and many antimicrobial polymers show great biocompatibility with eukaryotic cells, reducing potential side effects. Most antimicrobial polymers are inspired by naturally occurring antimicrobial peptides which typically contain nitrogen cations that can break up the negatively charged cell wall of bacteria, ultimately leading to cell death. The main purpose of this study is to synthesize several different antimicrobial monomers that are then polymerized using reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization. The three monomers of interest contain cationic groups similar to those found in antimicrobial peptides: an ionizable primary amine group, a quaternary ammonium salt, and a biguanide group. All monomers are characterized by H NMR and IR spectroscopy to confirm structure and purity. The monomers are then polymerized by aqueous RAFT polymerization to create water-soluble homo- and copolymers with varying incorporation of the three different monomers. RAFT polymerization allows precise control over molecular weight and polymer architecture in order to determine the impact of polymer structure and composition on antimicrobial effectiveness.

Synthesis of antimicrobial polymers via RAFT polymerization

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