| Microbial contamination caused by biofilm formation is a global long lasting concern. Based on previous research, biofilms generated on a clean surface can result in serious problems such as hygiene risk in daily life, economic losses in industry as well as high morbidity and mortality in medical areas. Biofilms usually start with only a few microorganisms. In order to adhere to surfaces firmly, these planktonic microorganisms accumulate on the surfaces and create a polysaccharide matrix which acts as "slime". Once biofilms are formed, microorganisms protected by biofilms are up to 1000 times more tolerant to disinfectant than the corresponding free-floating bacteria.;Two common strategies to prevent biofilms are generating antimicrobial surfaces and sterilizing surface frequently. However, these strategies cannot fully prevent biofilm formation and the antimicrobial effects cannot last for a long time. Once biofilms are formed, few biocides can eradicate the bacterial cells in the biofilms.;In order to solve these problems, amine-based and amide-based mono-functional and amine-based di-functional polymeric biofilm-binding N-halamine biocides were designed and synthesized to eradicate biofilms. The relationships between structures of biocides and their antimicrobial abilities were investigated. The antimicrobial effects of the polymeric biofilm-binding N-halamine biocides on the microbial cells in biofilms as well as the kinetics of the adsorption of them onto biofilms were studied. |
