Ionic Covalent Organic\nFramework as Antibacterial\nAdditive for Biobased Polymers

The rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria has created\nan urgent\nneed for antibacterial materials. One of the most widespread strategies\ninvolves the covalent attachment of ionic moieties, which can, however,\ncompromise the quality of the final polymers. Herein, we report the\nsynthesis of ionic covalent organic framework nanoparticles via click\npostsynthetic modification. The material is highly dispersible and\nexhibits excellent antibacterial properties against both Gram-positive\nand Gram-negative bacteria. Furthermore, biobased polymer/COF nanocomposites\nwere produced through casting/melt compression and melt electrospinning,\nretaining the antibacterial properties without sacrificing the thermal\nstability of the polymers. Ongoing studies in our laboratories are\nexploring the potential application of these composites in biomedical\ndevices.