(360d) Multifunctional Zwitterionic Carboxybetaine Surface

In recent years, there is an extensive study of zwitterionic betaine material families, such as carboxybetaine methacrylate (CBMA) and sulfobetaine methacrylate (SBMA), as an anti-biofouling platform. These materials have been proved to be highly resistant to bacteria, cells or other micro-organisms adhesion on various of biointerfaces. However, their antimicrobial ability has not been fully developed. In this study, a more facile synthesis route is designed to prepare new CBMA derivatives, which possess both antifouling and antimicrobial properties. Under neutral or basic condition, these materials are in zwitterionic form with ultralow-fouling property; under acidic condition, they will automatically convert into cationic charged form, which have antimicrobial ability. Bacteria can be trapped and killed through contact, then released under neutral or basic environment. This process is reversible by simply adjusting PH of the medium. Their ultra-antifouling property was tested with surface plasma resonance (SPR) and the switchable ability was tested on the surface.