From lab to pilot: sonochemical coating of PDDA-based polymer dots for scalable, wash-durable antibacterial textiles

Poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDDA) is a cationic polymer with strong antibacterial activity, but its coating applications are hindered by limited stability and dose-dependent cytotoxicity. Nanoformulating PDDA into polymer dots (PDDA-based PDs) via hydrothermal synthesis with boric acid o...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Rathee, Garima, Puertas Segura, Antonio Jesús|||0000-0002-0367-7207, Blair González, Jeniffer|||0000-0002-8472-1889, Tzanov, Tzanko|||0000-0002-8568-1110
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2025
País:España
Institución:Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC)
Repositorio:UPCommons. Portal del coneixement obert de la UPC
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:upcommons.upc.edu:2117/446052
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/2117/446052
https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ultsonch.2025.107619
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride)
Polymer dots
Sonochemical coating
Antibacterial textiles
Roll-to-roll
Washing fastness
Àrees temàtiques de la UPC::Enginyeria química::Biotecnologia
Descripción
Sumario:Poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDDA) is a cationic polymer with strong antibacterial activity, but its coating applications are hindered by limited stability and dose-dependent cytotoxicity. Nanoformulating PDDA into polymer dots (PDDA-based PDs) via hydrothermal synthesis with boric acid offers enhanced biocompati- bility, stability, and antimicrobial efficacy. The synthesised PDs demonstrated potent antibacterial activity against Gram-positive (S. aureus) and Gram-negative bacteria (E. coli and P. aeruginosa) with MIC values of 0.056–0.112 mg/mL and superior biofilm inhibition capabilities. Significantly lower antimicrobial resistance development was observed, with only 4–8 fold MIC increase after 30 days compared to 128–2048 fold increase for conventional antibiotics. Sonochemical coating onto cotton fabrics achieved exceptional washing durability, retaining strong antibacterial activity even after 60 high-temperature hospital laundry cycles with log reductions of 4.72 for S. aureus, 2.31 for P. aeruginosa, and 3.26 for E. coli. The multi-targeted antimicrobial mechanism of the PDs involves ROS generation, disruption of bacterial metabolism, and physical damage to membrane integrity. The coating process was successfully upscaled using a roll-to-roll sonochemical pilot system, demon- strating industrial feasibility. PDDA-based PDs offer a promising platform for developing sustainable, wash- durable antimicrobial textiles suitable for healthcare applications.