Plasma copolymerized oxazoline and fluoro monomer based amphiphilic coatings for antibacterial and antifouling applications

Incorporation of antibacterial and antibiofouling properties into commercial fabrics is an attractive proposition considering its multifold applications in the health industry. However poor bacterial anti adhesion and low shelf-life limit their widespread applicability. Moreover, while antifouling at the liquid-solid can be addressed by hydrophilic properties, that at the air-solid interface demands hydrophobicity. This work reports the use of an indigenously developed low pressure plasma set-up to deposit amphiphilic coatings through simultaneous deposition of poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline) (2E2O) and 1 H,1 H,2 H,2 H-perfluorodecyl acrylate (PFDA). Plasma parameters: deposition time, power, gas and monomer flow rates were optimized and the samples characterized using FTIR, XPS, SEM-EDX, AFM and Contact Angle (CA) measurement techniques. Samples were observed to inhibit biofilm formation from the viable cell enumeration method, while their biocidal efficacy was also established through antibacterial tests performed as per ISO 22196:2011. These hybrid coatings have potential applications in the healthcare sector as efficient antibacterial and antibiofouling surfaces.