Functional Nanogels as Platforms for Imparting Antibacterial, Antibiofilm, and Antiadhesion Activities to Stainless Steel

Abstract In this work, long‐term antibacterial, antiadhesion, and antibiofilm activities are afforded to industrial stainless steel surfaces following a green and bio‐inspired strategy. Starting from catechol bearing synthetic polymers, the film cross‐linking and the grafting of active (bio)molecules are possible under environmentally friendly conditions (in aqueous media and at room temperature). A bio‐inspired polyelectrolyte, a polycation‐bearing catechol, is used as the film‐anchoring polymer while a poly(methacrylamide)‐bearing quinone groups serves as the cross‐linking agent in combination with a polymer bearing primary amine groups. The amine/quinone reaction is exploited to prepare stable solutions of nanogels in water at room temperature that can be easily deposited to stainless steel. This coating provides quinone‐functionalized surfaces that are then used to covalently anchor active (bio)molecules (antibiofilm enzyme and antiadhesion polymer) through thiol/quinone reactions.