Multifunctional antimicrobial materials: From rational design to biomedical applications

Though the history of mankind, we are strongly fighting with infected diseases that are induced by bacteria, fungi, viruses, and other pathogens. Although a variety of medicines, including antibiotics and chemicals, have been developed since about one hundred years ago, many challenges are still threatening human health, such as drug resistance and emerging novel pathogens. Therefore, the development of antimicrobial materials has bloomed. From silver containers in ancient time to synthesized chemicals in the early 20th century, the antimicrobial materials are being improved to fight microorganisms. The efficacies of antimicrobial materials are further promoted by modern technologies. Recently, the efficacies and functions of antimicrobial materials are continuously enriched along with the advances of materials science and engineering, which strengthens the ability against complicated, severe infections and improves the performances on disease treatments. Multifunctional antimicrobial materials have drawn the greater attention of researchers. The multifunctional antimicrobial materials could not only fight against infections, but also promote the efficacy of medical devices, which will play significant roles in promoting the development of advanced medical devices. This review provides an overview on the development of multifunctional antimicrobial materials. The progress in applications of multifunctional antimicrobial materials is also summarized.