Synthesis and antibacterial activity of versatile substrate‐coated biocidal material via catechol chemistry

We report a potential coating material showing durable and significant antimicrobial activity for preserving the surfaces of a broad range of materials. The structure of the prepared antimicrobial adhesive material features a catechol moiety of dopamine hydrochloride conjugated to 4‐bromobutanoyl chloride as an adhesive material. Antimicrobial properties against a wide range of microorganism species are achieved by quaternizing a long hydrophobic chain (N,N'‐dimethyldecylamine) onto 3,4‐dihydroxyphenylalanine (Dopa) to afford the prepared material (Dopa‐decyl). The successful formation of Dopa‐decyl is confirmed by hydrogen nuclear magnetic resonance (¹H‐NMR) and attenuated total reflectance‐infrared (ATR‐IR) measurements. The chemical composition of the quaternized adhesive material (Dopa‐decyl) is characterized by X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Investigation of the antimicrobial activity of the Dopa‐decyl‐coated film against both gram‐positive Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and gram‐negative Escherichia coli (E. coli) stains reveals a highly efficient antimicrobial effect under both normal and extreme stress conditions due to the biocidal effect of the quaternized amine when the materials are applied on the surface of various substrates. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.