Preparation of polymersomes in pure water for facile antibacterial applications

We report a facile strategy for preparing persistent and effective antibacterial polymersomes (polymer vesicles) based on triblock copolymers synthesized by sequential copolymerization of 2-diethylaminoethyl methacrylate (DEA) and 2-(tert-butylamino)ethyl methacrylate (TA) via atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). The poly(ethylene oxide)-block-poly(2-diethylaminoethyl methacrylate)-block-poly[(2-tert-butylamino)ethyl methacrylate] (PEO-b-PDEA-b-PTA) triblock copolymers can self-assemble into polymersomes in aqueous solution when directly dissolved in pure water without the aid of organic solvents. 1H NMR and gel permeation chromatography (GPC) studies confirmed the well-defined copolymers. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and dynamic light scattering (DLS) studies proved the formation of polymersomes. Antibacterial tests showed good antibacterial activities of polymersomes against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Moreover, those polymersomes may be facilely sprayed in hospitals which are susceptible to bacterial attack for long-term effective antibacterial applications.