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Novel cardanol-based polymer coatings with antibacterial and antiviral properties
A Korean research team has developed environmentally friendly polymer coatings that have both antibacterial and antiviral effects. These coatings are based on cardanol-containing copolymers with fluoroalkyl groups, which can be cross-linked by UV irradiation and open up potential applications in medicine and protective technology.
Controlling pathogenic microbes is becoming increasingly important in healthcare, protective equipment and filtration systems. Researchers from South Korea report a new series of non-ionic copolymers combining cardanol – a bio-based phenol – with fluoroalkyl groups. The copolymers were synthesised via radical copolymerisation of specific methacrylate monomers.
Incorporating fluoroalkyl groups enhanced the hydrophobicity and reduced the surface energy of the materials, thereby improving their stability in aqueous environments. Thanks to reactive sites in cardanol, the copolymers could be crosslinked by UV irradiation. The resulting polymer films exhibited antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli and antiviral performance against Emesvirus zinderi.
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Strong antimicrobial activity with high stability
Interestingly, the fluoroalkyl moiety enhanced antiviral performance but weakened antibacterial effects. The optimal formulation contained 49 mol% of the fluoroalkyl monomer, producing a transparent and free-standing film that combined strong antimicrobial durability, structural integrity and low cytotoxicity towards human fibroblast cells.
The findings highlight the potential of cardanol-based, crosslinkable polymer coatings for applications in medical devices, protective films and filtration materials.
Source: Hong, H. et al., Antibacterial, antiviral, and crosslinkable polymeric coatings containing eco-friendly cardanol and fluoroalkyl moieties. Prog. Org. Coat. 203, 109182 (2025).
