Antibacterial and anti-biofilm efficacy of fluoropolymer coating by a 2,3,5,6-tetrafluoro-p-phenylenedimethanol structure

Abstract

Fluorinated polymers generally function as antibacterial agents, but their anti-biofilm effect remains unresolved. This study investigates the efficacy of fluoropolymers containing 2,3,5,6-tetrafluoro-p-phenylenedimethanol (TFPDM) in preventing biofilm formation by Bacillus subtilis and Escherichia coli (Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial species). To this end, TFPDM-based acrylate and epoxy polymers (AF and EF, respectively) and their structural analogues without TFPDM (A and E, respectively) were synthesized. All polymers were coated onto polyethylene terephthalate (PET) sheets. Relative to pristine PET, sheets coated with AF reduced the initial bacterial adhesion (72h) and biofilm formation (30days) of B. subtilis by 27.6% and 68.7% and of E. coli by 89.2% and 93.8%, respectively. The comparable antibacterial and anti-biofilm efficacies were obtained by sheets with EF. The biofilm detachment was substantially facilitated from the AF, compared with the structural analogue without TFPDM (A). In this comprehensive study, the bacterial adhesion and subsequent biofilm formation were prevented by TFPDM-containing polymers effectively.

Keywords: Anti-biofilm; Antibacterial; Biofilm heterogeneity; Fluorinated polymer; Optical coherence tomography; Surface properties.