A Degradable and Antimicrobial Surface‐Attached Polymer Hydrogel

Surface‐attached, degradable polymer hydrogels with potential antimicrobial activity are reported. They are obtained by ring‐opening metathesis copolymerization (ROMP) of a monomer with potential bioactivity and a monomer that carries a benzophenone cross‐linker and a hydrolyzable group. The hydrolyzable group is either an ester or an anhydride group. The copolymers thus obtained are spin‐coated onto silicon wafers and UV‐irradiated to induce C,H cross‐linking of the benzophenone groups and obtain the target polymer networks. Immersion of these networks into aqueous media triggers network degradation. The degradation speed depends on the nature of the intended break points (ester or anhydride groups), the number of cross‐links per polymer chain, and the surrounding medium. By releasing bioactive polymer fragments to the medium (“leaching”) and by regenerating the hydrogel surface during the degradation process, the hydrogels potentially have two ways to prevent biofilm formation on their surface