Abstract

Antimicrobial polymers are materials that prevent microorganism growth and are needed for many everyday applications from food packaging and water treatment to medicine and healthcare. This new book covers different areas of antimicrobial materials based on polymers including chitosan, polymers with ammonium and phosphonium groups, polymer nanofibers, carbon-based polymer Nanocomposites, polymeric and non-polymeric metal complexes, and biomimetic materials. By combining the information of different materials as well as antimicrobial action modes and applications within one source, the book provides a general summary of the field.

Polymeric Materials with Antimicrobial Activity starts with a general introduction to antimicrobial polymers and presents the most common types of microorganisms (bacteria, fungi, yeast and algae) along with the main areas of application of antimicrobial polymeric materials. Specific chapters then detail different polymer systems covering the fundamental issues of synthesis, characterization, physico-chemical properties and applications.

With contributions from leading scientists the book is suitable for researchers in polymers, chemistry, biology and materials science interested in an overview of antimicrobial polymeric materials as well as the recent advances in their synthesis, properties and applications.

M. Fernández-García obtained a PhD in Chemistry under the supervision of Dr. E.L. Madruga at the Instituto de Ciencia y Tecnología de Polímeros (ICTP-CSIC). She conducted postdoctoral work at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, Maryland, USA (1997-1998),Institut für Technische Chemie, TU Clausthal, Germany (2000) before returning to the ICTP-CSIC in 1999. Her main research interest involves synthesis of new polymers and their structuration at micro and nano-levels as well as their chemistry applications as multifunctional materials.

A. Muñoz-Bonilla obtained a PhD in Chemistry "European Doctorate Mection" at the Instituto de Ciencia y Tecnología de Polímeros (ICTP-CSIC). During 2005 she carried out a research stay, Marie Curie Visiting Research Student at the University of Warwick, (UK) in the group of Prof. D.M. Haddleton. Postdoctoral work included Laboratoire de Chimie des Polymères Organiques, Université de Bordeaux I-CNRS, France and Eindhoven University of Technology, Netherlands. Her main research is focused on the synthesis of complex architectures.

M.L. Cerrada obtained a PhD in Chemistry at Instituto de Ciencia y Tecnología de Polímeros (ICTP-CSIC). She conducted her postdoctoral work at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) (Maryland, USA), Centre de Recherche, d’Ingénierie et de Technologie from Rhône-Poulenc Industralisation (Saint-Fons Cedex, France). She returned to the Instituto de Ciencia y Tecnología de Polímeros in 1999. Her main research interest involves the physico-chemical characterization of polymers focused on structural and viscoelastic standpoints.