Green fabrication of carbon dioxide-based polycarbonates with durable antimicrobial properties and UV resistance

Bacterial infections pose a major threat to human health and continue to be a major challenge in medicine. In addition, the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria has exacerbated the difficulty of treating such infections. To combat the spread of infections and reduce reliance on antibiotics, it is increasingly recognized as important to develop efficient antimicrobial materials. Herein, we have successfully designed and synthesized carbon dioxide-based polycarbonates containing photosensitive benzophenone groups and characterized their structures and properties. The modified polycarbonate exhibits strong UV aging resistance and also has the ability to produce reactive oxygen species through electron leaps when exposed to UV radiation. This generates oxidative stress in pathogens, resulting in their inactivation or death, thereby imparting antimicrobial properties to the material. The experimental findings demonstrate that PPCB maintains its stability in terms of both composition and surface morphology when exposed to continuous UV irradiation. The carbon dioxide-based polycarbonates, which were modified with varying amounts of 3,3′,4,4′-benzophenone tetracarboxylic dianhydride, exhibited bacteriostatic effects of 99% and 91% against the Gram-positive bacterium Staphylococcus aureus and the Gram-negative bacterium Escherichia coli, respectively. This novel material may have potential applications in the development of bacteriostatic surfaces for medical devices and biomaterials.