Facile fabrication of robust and universal UV-curable polyurethane composite coatings with antibacterial properties.

The colonization of bacteria and biofilm formation on the surface of medical devices is one of the main causes of nosocomial infections. The development of antimicrobial functional materials with robust and universal properties has been a hot research topic in this field. In this paper, a novel type of polyurethane composite coating was developed by a complementary combination of polyurethane and antibacterial agents. A photocurable anionic waterborne polyurethane was first synthesized using polycarbonate diol (PCDL), isophorone diisocyanate (IPDI), 2,2-dimethylolpropionic acid (DMPA), and hydroxyethyl acrylate (HEA) as raw materials. Polyurethane composite coatings were prepared by associating cationic antibacterial agents with polyurethane molecules through electrostatic assembly, hydrophobic interactions and hydrogen bonding, and the mechanical properties, adhesion, and antibacterial properties of the polyurethane composite coatings were studied. The results showed that the polyurethane composite coatings had good mechanical properties, and the introduction of cationic antibacterial agents significantly improved the antibacterial ability of the polyurethane material. The antibacterial efficiency of polyurethane against E. coli and S. aureus reached 99% and exhibited durable antibacterial performance as well. Moreover, the polyurethane composite coatings showed excellent adhesion to a variety of substrates, demonstrating their potential application as a universal antimicrobial coating in the medical field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]