quaternary ammonium silane-functionalized, methacrylate resin composition with antimicrobial activities and self-repair potential

the design of antimicrobial polymers to address healthcare issues and minimize environmental problems is an important endeavor with both fundamental and practical implications. quaternary ammonium silane-functionalized methacrylate (qams) represents an example of antimicrobial macromonomers synthesized by a sol–gel chemical route; these compounds possess flexible si–o–si bonds. in present work, a partially hydrolyzed qams co-polymerized with 2,2-[4(2-hydroxy 3-methacryloxypropoxy)-phenyl]propane is introduced. this methacrylate resin was shown to possess desirable mechanical properties with both a high degree of conversion and minimal polymerization shrinkage. the kill-on-contact microbiocidal activities of this resin were demonstrated using single-species biofilms of streptococcus mutans (atcc 36558), actinomyces naeslundii (atcc 12104) and candida albicans (atcc 90028). improved mechanical properties after hydration provided the proof-of-concept that qams-incorporated resin exhibits self-repair potential via water-induced condensation of organic modified silicate (ormosil) phases within the polymerized resin matrix.