A Review of Recent Progress in Synthetic Polymer Surface Coatings for the Prevention of Biofilm Formation
Bacterial adhesion and the subsequent formation of biofilms and biofouling have significant economic and health impacts across all sectors. They are especially impactful in industrial corrosion, healthcare, food processing, agriculture, and waste and drinking water. Synthetic polymers that resist ba...
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MDPI AG
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Molecules |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/30/13/2710 |
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| author | Adrienne Shea Matthew T. Bernards |
| author_facet | Adrienne Shea Matthew T. Bernards |
| author_sort | Adrienne Shea |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Bacterial adhesion and the subsequent formation of biofilms and biofouling have significant economic and health impacts across all sectors. They are especially impactful in industrial corrosion, healthcare, food processing, agriculture, and waste and drinking water. Synthetic polymers that resist bacterial adhesion are adaptable to a wide range of applications in all of these fields. While there are many bacteria-resistant polymers, some of the best performing include polyethylene glycol (PEG), poly(oxazoline) (POZ), and zwitterionic polymers, with zwitterionic polymers showing the most promise with reductions in bacteria adhesion up to 99% over controls. This review summarizes the demonstrated bacterial resistance performance of these polymer coatings based on literature published over the last ten years. It also identifies the front runners for preventing bacterial adhesion while providing the critical next steps for widespread adoption of this technology. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-47d3d47aa91b49f5a0da812058b06896 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1420-3049 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Molecules |
| spelling | doaj-art-47d3d47aa91b49f5a0da812058b068962025-08-20T03:28:29ZengMDPI AGMolecules1420-30492025-06-013013271010.3390/molecules30132710A Review of Recent Progress in Synthetic Polymer Surface Coatings for the Prevention of Biofilm FormationAdrienne Shea0Matthew T. Bernards1Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID 83844, USADepartment of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID 83844, USABacterial adhesion and the subsequent formation of biofilms and biofouling have significant economic and health impacts across all sectors. They are especially impactful in industrial corrosion, healthcare, food processing, agriculture, and waste and drinking water. Synthetic polymers that resist bacterial adhesion are adaptable to a wide range of applications in all of these fields. While there are many bacteria-resistant polymers, some of the best performing include polyethylene glycol (PEG), poly(oxazoline) (POZ), and zwitterionic polymers, with zwitterionic polymers showing the most promise with reductions in bacteria adhesion up to 99% over controls. This review summarizes the demonstrated bacterial resistance performance of these polymer coatings based on literature published over the last ten years. It also identifies the front runners for preventing bacterial adhesion while providing the critical next steps for widespread adoption of this technology.https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/30/13/2710biofilmbiofoulingbacterial adhesionhydrogelspolyampholyteszwitterions |
| spellingShingle | Adrienne Shea Matthew T. Bernards A Review of Recent Progress in Synthetic Polymer Surface Coatings for the Prevention of Biofilm Formation Molecules biofilm biofouling bacterial adhesion hydrogels polyampholytes zwitterions |
| title | A Review of Recent Progress in Synthetic Polymer Surface Coatings for the Prevention of Biofilm Formation |
| title_full | A Review of Recent Progress in Synthetic Polymer Surface Coatings for the Prevention of Biofilm Formation |
| title_fullStr | A Review of Recent Progress in Synthetic Polymer Surface Coatings for the Prevention of Biofilm Formation |
| title_full_unstemmed | A Review of Recent Progress in Synthetic Polymer Surface Coatings for the Prevention of Biofilm Formation |
| title_short | A Review of Recent Progress in Synthetic Polymer Surface Coatings for the Prevention of Biofilm Formation |
| title_sort | review of recent progress in synthetic polymer surface coatings for the prevention of biofilm formation |
| topic | biofilm biofouling bacterial adhesion hydrogels polyampholytes zwitterions |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/30/13/2710 |
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