Design of polymer colloids for use in functional biocoatings - poster

Joshua R. Booth¹, Yuxiu Chen²*, Simone Krings³, Stefan A. F. Bon¹, Suzanne Hingley-Wilson³, Joseph L. Keddie²*
1 Department of Chemistry, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK
2 Department of Physics, University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey, GU2 7XH, UK
3 Department of Microbial Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey, GU2 7XH, UK

Biocoatings can be defined as polymer films containing immobilised, non-growing, metabolically active bacteria. We recently developed a porous waterborne biocoating, with future applications in wastewater treatment and production of biomass.¹ For use in this functional coating, it was crucial that the latex was non-toxic to the bacteria and that the polymer had a precise glass transition temperature. A glass transition temperature of 34 °C was selected as a compromise. At room temperature the particles were glassy and did not deform, however, film formation took place at higher temperatures that could still be tolerated by the bacteria. The low toxicity of the latex was achieved with careful selection of anionic and non-ionic surfactants and their use in semi-batch emulsion polymerisation. A single glass transition temperature of 34 °C for the copolymer was accomplished through monomer selection and adjustments to the semi-batch process. Furthermore, these strategies can be applied to the design of biocoatings for other applications.

1   Y. Chen, S. Krings, J. R. Booth, S. A. F. Bon, S. Hingley-Wilson and J. L. Keddie, Biomacromolecules, DOI:10.1021/acs.biomac.0c00649