Simple click reactions on polymer surfaces leading to antimicrobial behavior

In this study we developed simple reactions that combined microwave plasma reactions in the presence of maleic anhydride with alkyne click chemistries to achieve a platform for unlimited possibilities for further surface modifications of aliphatic polymer surfaces. Using this approach, we covalently attached ampicillin (AMP) to polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) substrates. As a result, high efficacy against microbial film formation, manifested by efficient antimicrobial activity against S. aureus with a 97-99.8% decrease of bacterial growth, was achieved. This simple and clean process allows functionalization of any polymeric substrate without adverse effects on bulk polymer properties.