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

该项目的目的是探索将共价结合的抗菌和生物可降解部分结合的可能性，从而形成双功能即（生物）可降解和快速作用的抗菌聚合物。在针对这项工作的目的时，有一些基本问题需要回答：抗菌单元的掺入是否会对相应聚合物的生物降解性产生影响？聚合物的生物相容性会发生什么变化？部分降解的聚合物抗菌会多、少还是相似？亲疏水平衡、分子量和反离子的变化如何影响抗菌和生物降解性能？使用该系统是否有可能实现非常快速的抗菌作用（几分钟内）？在本研究中提出了一类具有活性抗菌基团（季铵基）的新型聚酯，无论是在聚合物主链上还是侧链上。缩合聚合和开环聚合（ROP）两种方法都可用于制备功能聚酯。抗菌基团如抗菌二醇将作为单体/共聚体与二酸/二酸衍生物进行缩聚（策略1）。对于ROP反应，将利用具有抗菌基团的特殊环酯或聚酯主链上使用点击反应的聚合物类似反应将抗菌单元附着到聚酯上（策略2）。

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).