Advanced Antibacterial Polymers and Their Composites

A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Polymer Applications".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 May 2025 | Viewed by 1565

Special Issue Editors


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The Herff College of Engineering Directory, Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Memphis, Memphis, TN, USA
Interests: biopolymers; polymeric hydrogels; nanocomposites
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Facultad de Ingeniería, Arquitectura y Diseño, Universidad San Sebastián, Concepción, Chile
Interests: bioactive hybrid nanomaterials; antibacterial; wound dressing; cancer; biowater purification
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

With an understanding of disease pathology, various strategies have been gradually established for guiding the preparation of novel advanced antibacterial polymers and their composites. Antibacterial polymers have emerged as promising materials for biomedical, environmental, and industrial applications due to their inherent antimicrobial properties. This Special Issue covers topics such as the design and synthesis of novel antibacterial polymers, the fabrication of antibacterial polymer-based composites, and their characterization, properties, and performance evaluation.

Contributions addressing the mechanisms of antibacterial activity, strategies for enhancing antimicrobial efficacy, and applications in wound healing, medical devices, antimicrobial coatings, and water treatment will be included. Overall, this Special Issue aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the recent advancements in antibacterial polymers and their potential applications in combating microbial infections and promoting public health. Considering your prominent contribution in this research area, we invite you to submit a high-quality  research article, or review article for this Special Issue, focusing on antibacterial polymers and their potential applications in combating microbial infections and promoting public health. 

Dr. Tippabattini Jayaramudu
Prof. Dr. Rajesh K. Sani
Dr. Varaprasad Kokkarachedu
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • biopolymers
  • polymeric materials
  • nanocomposites
  • inorganic nanoparticles
  • organic nanoparticles
  • nanomaterials
  • drug delivery
  • metal nanoparticles
  • biocompatible and biodegradable
  • antibacterial properties
  • nanocomposites
  • biomedical applications

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

16 pages, 3338 KiB  
Article
Hydrogen Production in Microbial Electrolysis Cells Using an Alginate Hydrogel Bioanode Encapsulated with a Filter Bag
by Lea Ouaknin Hirsch, Bharath Gandu, Abhishiktha Chiliveru, Irina Amar Dubrovin, Avinash Jukanti, Alex Schechter and Rivka Cahan
Polymers 2024, 16(14), 1996; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym16141996 - 12 Jul 2024
Viewed by 824
Abstract
The bacterial anode of microbial electrolysis cells (MECs) is the limiting factor in a high hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). This study focused on improving biofilm attachment to a carbon-cloth anode using an alginate hydrogel. In addition, the modified bioanode was encapsulated by a [...] Read more.
The bacterial anode of microbial electrolysis cells (MECs) is the limiting factor in a high hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). This study focused on improving biofilm attachment to a carbon-cloth anode using an alginate hydrogel. In addition, the modified bioanode was encapsulated by a filter bag that served as a physical barrier, to overcome its low mechanical strength and alginate degradation by certain bacterial species in wastewater. The MEC based on an encapsulated alginate bioanode (alginate bioanode encapsulated by a filter bag) was compared with three controls: an MEC based on a bare bioanode (non-immobilized bioanode), an alginate bioanode, and an encapsulated bioanode (bioanode encapsulated by a filter bag). At the beginning of the operation, the Rct value for the encapsulated alginate bioanode was 240.2 Ω, which decreased over time and dropped to 9.8 Ω after three weeks of operation when the Geobacter medium was used as the carbon source. When the MECs were fed with wastewater, the encapsulated alginate bioanode led to the highest current density of 9.21 ± 0.16 A·m−2 (at 0.4 V), which was 20%, 95%, and 180% higher, compared to the alginate bioanode, bare bioanode, and encapsulated bioanode, respectively. In addition, the encapsulated alginate bioanode led to the highest reduction currents of (4.14 A·m−2) and HER of 0.39 m3·m−3·d−1. The relative bacterial distribution of Geobacter was 79%. The COD removal by all the bioanodes was between 62% and 88%. The findings of this study demonstrate that the MEC based on the encapsulated alginate bioanode exhibited notably higher bio-electroactivity compared to both bare, alginate bioanode, and an encapsulated bioanode. We hypothesize that this improvement in electron transfer rate is attributed to the preservation and the biofilm on the anode material using alginate hydrogel which was inserted into a filter bag. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Antibacterial Polymers and Their Composites)
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