Functional polymethacrylates as bacteriostatic polymers

Two copolymers, P(PCEMA-co-MMA) and P(t-BMA-block-PCEMA), were prepared via ATRP using 2-(phenoxycarbonyloxy)ethyl methacrylate (PCEMA) as reactive monomer and methyl methacrylate (MMA) or tert-butyl methacrylate (t-BMA) as co-monomers. Alternatively phenoxycarbonyloxy decorated polymethacrylates were obtained via polymer analogous reaction: P(HEMA) was reacted with phenyl chloroformate to yield P(PCEMA). The highly reactive phenoxycarbonyloxy groups were used for polymer analogous reactions with nucleophiles to obtain polymers with ionic/hydrophilic and hydrophobic side groups. Different amines with long alkyl chains or tertiary amine groups were reacted with phenoxycarbonyloxy decorated polymers and subsequently reacted with methyl iodide to obtain amphipathic polymers with bacteriostatic properties. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.