Poly (N-Acryloyl Ciprofloxacin-Co-Acrylic Acid)-Incorporated Waterborne Polyurethane Leather Coating with Long-lasting Antimicrobial Properties

Abstract

To overcome the leaching problem associated with lowmolecular-weight antimicrobial agents, a water solubleantimicrobial polymer, poly(N-acryloyl ciprofloxacin-co-acrylicacid), was designed and synthesized via acryloylation of thesecondary amine in 7-piperazinyl substituent of ciprofloxacinand subsequent copolymerization with acrylic acid. Thestructure of the copolymer was characterized by 1H nuclearmagnetic resonance (NMR), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR)spectra, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and gelpermeation chromatography (GPC). The copolymer wascompatible with waterborne polyurethane for leather finishing,and remained antimicrobial even though the parent structure ofciprofloxacin molecule was altered. When incorporated intowaterborne polyurethane leather coating as an antimicrobialagent, poly(N-acryloyl ciprofloxacin-co-acrylic acid) provedseldom leached out from the coating even after being rinsed forten times. Based on these results, the water soluble antimicrobialcopolymer designed in this study may prevent depletion ofantimicrobial function of waterborne polyurethane leathercoating, extending the lifetime of the leather products andenhancing their hygiene properties.