# Quaternized Polysulfones as Matrix for the Development of Broad-Spectrum Antimicrobial Coatings for Medical Devices

## TL;DR

This paper presents a new antimicrobial coating made from quaternized polysulfone that effectively inhibits pathogens on medical devices.

## Contribution

The study introduces a novel quaternized polysulfone matrix that encapsulates two antimicrobial drugs for broad-spectrum pathogen inhibition.

## Key findings

- The coatings showed strong physical interactions between the drugs and the quaternized polysulfone matrix.
- The coatings exhibited significant antimicrobial activity against S. aureus, E. coli, and C. albicans.
- The materials demonstrated a 12-fold increase in DPPH radical inhibition compared to the control.

## Abstract

The development and application of antimicrobial coatings has become increasingly important in both medical and industrial settings due to the rising threat of microbial contamination and antibiotic resistance. This paper focuses on the formulation, characterization, and investigation of coatings based on quaternized polysulfone, which are designed to encapsulate two broad-spectrum antimicrobial drugs with complementary activity, amphotericin B (AmB) and norfloxacin (NFX), with the primary aim of inhibiting pathogen colonization on surgical instruments. Structural characterization using FTIR, 1H-NMR, and UV-Vis spectroscopy, along with supramolecular analysis via X-ray diffraction and polarized optical microscopy (POM), revealed strong physical interactions between the drugs and the quaternized polysulfone matrix. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) confirmed a uniform distribution of the antimicrobial agents within the polymeric matrix. Surface wettability, assessed through water contact angle measurements, indicated moderate hydrophilicity (70–90°). The coatings also exhibited notable antioxidant activity, showing a 12-fold increase in DPPH radical inhibition compared to the control. Furthermore, all formulations demonstrated strong antimicrobial efficacy against three reference strains frequently associated with hospital-acquired infections, S. aureus, E. coli, and C. albicans, with inhibition zones ranging from 32 to 39.67 mm for bacterial strains and 13.86 to 20.86 mm for C. albicans. These data points indicate that these materials may be useful as antimicrobial coatings.