Understanding a novel class of functional polymers: Dual functional antimicrobial degradable polyesters

• Applicant: Professorin Dr. Seema Agarwal
• Subject Area: Experimental and Theoretical Physics of Polymers
• Term: from 2012 to 2017
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 221401171

The objective of this project is to explore the possibility to combine covalently bound antibacterial and biodegradable moieties and thereby the formation of dual functional i.e. (bio-)degradable and fast acting antibacterial polymers. There are some basic questions to be answered while targeting the aim of the work: will there be an effect of incorporation of antibacterial units on the biodegradability of the corresponding polymers? What will happen to the biocompatibility of the polymers? Partially degraded polymers will be more, less or similar antibacterial? How variation of hydrophobicity/hydrophilicity balance, molecular weight and counter ion would affect the antibacterial and biodegradation properties? Is it possible to achieve very fast antimicrobial action (within few minutes) with this system? The novel class of polyesters with active antibacterial moieties (quaternary ammonium group) either in the polymer backbone or as side chains is proposed for this study. Both condensation polymerization and ring-opening polymerization (ROP) methods would be used for making functional polyesters. Antibacterial moieties like antibacterial-diol would be used as monomer / comonomer in condensation polymerization with diacid / diacid derviatives (strategy 1). For ROP reaction, either special cylic esters with antibacterial moieties or polymer analogous reactions on polyester backbone using click reactions will be utilised for attaching antimicrobial units to the polyesters (strategy 2).

• DFG Programme: Research Grants