A Simple Strategy to Achieve Mussel-Inspired Highly Effective Antibacterial Coating

Although significant progress has been made in the preparation of mussel-inspired antibacterial coatings, continual challenges still remain in pursuing more facile and simpler fabrication methods to construct more robust and effective coatings. In this study, quaternized catechol (QCat), which is synthesized via a simple quaternization reaction from two commercially available materials, 2-chloro-3,4-dihydroxyacetophenone and N,N-dimethyldodecylamine, is used as a reactive antimicrobial agent to fabricate mussel-inspired antibacterial coatings. Specifically, QCat reacts with branched polyethyleneimine (PEI) in Tris-HCl solution through a cross-linking reaction between amino and catechol groups to form a homogeneous coating on various substrates via a simple co-deposition process. The formed PEI/QCat coating exhibits highly effective antimicrobial activity against both Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli and good adhesion on glass, metal, and plastic substrates. Such a simple fabrication process makes it a potential candidate for industrial and medical applications.