Poly[2-(tert-butylaminoethyl) methacrylate] (PTA), an important class of antimicrobial polymers, has demonstrated its great biocidal efficiency, favorable nontoxicity, and versatile applicability. To further enhance its antimicrobial efficiency, an optimization of the chemical structure of PTA polymers is performed via atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) in terms of the antimicrobial ability against Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus). After the optimization, the resulting PTA is blended into a polylactide (PLA) matrix to form PTA/PLA composite thin films. It is first found, that the antimicrobial efficiency of PTA/PLA composites was significantly enhanced by controlling the PLA crystallinity and the PLA spherulite size. A possible mechanistic route regarding this new finding has been rationally discussed. Lastly, the cytotoxicity and mechanical properties of a PTA/PLA composite thin film exhibiting the best biocidal effect are evaluated for assessing its potential as a new material for creating antimicrobial biomedical devices.

中文翻译：

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通过调整其化学和物理结构来增强聚[2-（叔丁基氨基）甲基丙烯酸甲酯] /聚丙交酯复合材料的抗菌活性

聚[2-（叔丁基氨基乙基）甲基丙烯酸甲酯]（PTA）是一类重要的抗菌聚合物，已证明其杀菌效率高，无毒且具有广泛的适用性。为了进一步提高其抗菌效率，通过原子转移自由基聚合（ATRP）对大肠杆菌（E. coli）和金黄色葡萄球菌（S. aureus）的抗菌能力，对PTA聚合物的化学结构进行了优化。）。优化后，将所得的PTA掺入聚丙交酯（PLA）基质中，以形成PTA / PLA复合薄膜。首先发现，通过控制PLA的结晶度和PLA球晶的尺寸，可以显着提高PTA / PLA复合材料的抗菌效果。关于这一新发现的可能的机械途径已经进行了合理的讨论。最后，对表现出最佳杀生物效果的PTA / PLA复合薄膜的细胞毒性和机械性能进行了评估，以评估其作为生产抗菌生物医学设备的新材料的潜力。