Biocidal polymers are designed to inhibit or kill microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi and protozoans. This book summarizes recent findings in the synthesis, modification and characterization of various antimicrobial polymers ranging from plastics and elastomers to biomimetic and biodegradable polymers. Modifications with different antimicrobial agents as well as antimicrobial testing methods are described in a comprehensive manner.

Biocidal polymers are designed to inhibit or kill microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi and protozoans. This book summarizes recent findings in the synthesis, modification and characterization of various antimicrobial polymers ranging from plastics and elastomers to biomimetic and biodegradable polymers. Modifications with different antimicrobial agents as well as antimicrobial testing methods are described in a comprehensive manner.

The pioneering guide on the design, processing, and testing of antimicrobial plastic materials and coatings The manifestation of harmful microbes in plastic materials used in medical devices and drugs, water purification systems, hospital equipment, textiles, and food packaging pose alarming health threats to consumers by exposing them to many serious infectious diseases. As a result, high demand for intensifying efforts in the R&D of antimicrobial polymers has placed heavy reliance on both academia and industry to find viable solutions for producing safer plastic materials. To assist researchers and students in this endeavor, Antimicrobial Polymers explores coupling contaminant-deterring biocides and plastics—focusing particular attention on natural biocides and the nanofabrication of biocides. Each chapter is devoted to addressing a key technology employed to impart antimicrobial behavior to polymers, including chemical modification of the polymers themselves. A host of relevant topics, such as regulatory matters, human safety, and environmental risks are covered to help lend depth to the book's vital subject matter. In addition, Antimicrobial Polymers: Discusses the design, processing, and testing of antimicrobial plastic materials Covers interdisciplinary areas of chemistry and microbiology Includes applications in food packaging, medical devices, nanotechnology, and coatings Details regulations from the U.S. (FDA and EPA) and EU as well as human safety and environmental concerns Achieving cleaner and more effective methods for improving the infection-fighting properties of versatile and necessary plastic materials is a goal that stretches across many scientific fields. Antimicrobial Polymers combines all of this information into one volume, exposing readers to preventive strategies that harbor vast potential for making exposure to polymeric products and surfaces a far less risky undertaking in the future.

A comprehensive overview of different antimicrobial polymeric materials, their antimicrobial action modes and applications.

The rapid increase in the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains, combined with a dwindling rate of discovery of novel antibiotic molecules, has created an alarming issue worldwide. Although the occurrence of resistance in microbes is a natural process, the overuse of antibiotics is known to increase the rate of resistance evolution. Under antibiotic treatment, susceptible bacteria inevitably die, while resistant microorganisms proliferate under reduced competition. Therefore, the out-of-control use of antibiotics eliminates drug-susceptible species that would naturally limit the expansion of resistant species. In addition, the ability of many microbial species to grow as a biofilm has further complicated the treatment of infections with conventional antibiotics. A number of corrective measures are currently being explored to reverse or slow antibiotic resistance evolution, Among which one of the most promising solutions is the development of polymer-based antimicrobial compounds. In this Special Issue, different polymer systems able to prevent or treat biofilm formation, including cationic polymers, antibacterial peptide-mimetic polymers, polymers or composites able to load and release bioactive molecules, and antifouling polymers able to repel microbes by physical or chemical mechanisms are reported. Their applications in the design and fabrication of medical devices, in food packaging, and as drug carriers is investigated.

This Rapra Review Report examines the use of biocides in plastics with reference to material types and application requirements. The commonly available biocides are reviewed and details of their strengths and weaknesses are provided. The author reviews the frequently used test methods for fungi and bacteria, and, in an ever-changing regulatory environment, explores the influence of legislation on the current and future use of such biocides. This detailed and state-of-the-art review is supported by an indexed section containing several hundred key references and abstracts selected from the Polymer Library database.

Antimicrobial polymers are materials that prevent microorganism growth and are needed for many everyday applications from food packaging and water treatment to medicine and healthcare. This new book covers different areas of antimicrobial materials based on polymers including chitosan, polymers with ammonium and phosphonium groups, polymer nanofibers, carbon-based polymer Nanocomposites, polymeric and non-polymeric metal complexes, and biomimetic materials. By combining the information of different materials as well as antimicrobial action modes and applications within one source, the book provides a general summary of the field. Polymeric Materials with Antimicrobial Activity starts with a general introduction to antimicrobial polymers and presents the most common types of microorganisms (bacteria, fungi, yeast and algae) along with the main areas of application of antimicrobial polymeric materials. Specific chapters then detail different polymer systems covering the fundamental issues of synthesis, characterization, physico-chemical properties and applications. With contributions from leading scientists the book is suitable for researchers in polymers, chemistry, biology and materials science interested in an overview of antimicrobial polymeric materials as well as the recent advances in their synthesis, properties and applications.