Preparation of antibacterial poly(sulfobetaine methacrylate) grafted on poly(vinyl alcohol)‐formaldehyde sponges and their properties

Conventional wound dressings cover wound surfaces and separate them from the outer environment. However, wound sites are readily infected by some bacteria during healing. To overcome these problems, a macroporous sample is designed through the grafting polymerization of hydrophilic sulfobetaine methacrylate (SBMA) on poly(vinyl alcohol)‐formaldehyde (PVF) sponges. The as‐prepared PVF sponges have a grafting percentage of 15–50%, an average pore size of 60–90 μm, and a high porosity of 90%. This series of PVF‐g‐PSBMA sponges can absorb deionized water and saline solution at approximately 16 g·g −1 within 2 min because of their hydrophilic surface and macroporous structure. The antibacterial potential of PVF‐g‐PSBMA sponges against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus is evaluated via a shake flask test. As the grafting percentage increase from 15 to 50%, the antibacterial activities against Gram‐positive S. aureus and Gram‐negative E. coli gradually increase from 87 to 95% and from 94 to 99%, respectively. The biocompatibility of these sponges is confirmed through an in vitro cell viability assay. All of the survival rates of the bacterial cells relative to the control (100% of metabolic activity) exceed 90% as the extract ratio of PVF‐g‐PSBMA sponges increase. Thus, the as‐prepared PVF‐g‐PSBMA sponges can be an ideal wound dressing candidate. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2019 , 136 , 47047.