Antibacterial surface based on new epoxy-amine networks from ionic liquid monomers

Abstract The design of new highly effective polymer materials as active surfaces or coatings against microorganisms such as Escherichia coli ( E. coli ) is a major challenge for public health. In the present work, novel imidazolium ionic liquid monomers (ILMs) having a similar structure of conventional Bisphenol A diglycidyl ether epoxy prepolymer (DGEBA) have been designed without requiring to the use of toxic and carcinogenic compounds i.e. Bisphenol A and epichlorohydrin. Then, a facile and efficient polyaddition reaction-based polymerization via a one step process was used in order to prepare unprecedented antibacterial epoxy-amine networks. The ultimate role of the monomers architecture on the epoxy conversion as well as on the reactivity of the epoxy-functionalized imidazolium ionic liquid monomers with an aliphatic amine (D-230) was investigated while the average molecular weight between crosslinks (Mc) and the relaxation temperature of the resulting networks were determined. Thus, new epoxy thermosets with an excellent thermal stability, high hydrophobic behavior and good storage modulus at room temperature were produced. Finally, antimicrobial tests against E. coli were performed for the first time on these new cross-linked epoxy networks leading to a very strong inhibition of E. coli biofilm formation (−95%).