Enhanced antimicrobial and antifungal property of two-dimensional fibrous material assembled by N-halamine polymeric electrolytes

Microbial contamination and biofilm formation cause serious issues in medical, household, industrial and environmental applications. In this study, a series of cationic and anionic N-halamine polymeric precursors, poly (N,N-dimethyl-N-decyl ammonium ethyl methacrylate-co-methacrylamide) (PQDM) and poly (acrylic acid-co-methacrylamide) (PAM), were synthesized and coated onto cotton fabrics through the layer-by-layer (LBL) assembly technique. The coated LBL cotton swatches were characterized by Scanning Electron Microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and contact angle evaluation. The stability of the LBL samples towards artificial sweat and home laundering was evaluated. The LBL treated fabrics demonstrated effective antimicrobial efficacy and biofilm-controlling against Gram-positive bacteria, Gram-negative bacteria, and Fungi. In vitro cytocompatibility test towards mouse fibroblast cell indicated that the LBL coated cotton fabrics are cytocompatible, pointing to great potentialities of the LBL assembled fabrics for future biomedical applications.