Polymer–Nanoparticle Interaction as a Design Principle in the Development of a Durable Ultrathin Universal Binary Antibiofilm Coating with Long-Term Activity

Bacterial attachment and biofilm formation pose major challenges to the optimal performance of indwelling devices. Current coating methods have significant deficiencies including the lack of long-term activity, easy of application, and adaptability to diverse materials. Here we describe a coating method that could potentially overcome such limitations and yield an ultrathin coating with long-term antibiofilm activity. We utilized the interaction between polydopamine (PDA) nanoaggregates/nanoparticles and ultrahigh molecular weight (uHMW) hydrophilic polymers to generate stable coatings with broad spectrum antibiofilm activity. We used a short-term bacterial adhesion assay as an initial screening method to identify coating compositions that give superior performance and found that only selected polymers (out of 13 different types) and molecular weights gave promising antifouling activity. Optimization of PDA self-assembly, polymer–PDA interaction, and deposition on the surface using uHMW poly(N,N-dimethyla...