Cyclodextrin-Grafted Poly(vanillin) Antimicrobial\nBio-Nanohoops via “Graft From” RAFT and Supramolecular\nHost–Guest Chemistry

Microbial\ninfections have been recognized as one of the most serious\nthreats to healthcare and agriculture production, and it is still\na great challenge to explore antimicrobial biomaterials with supramolecular\nself-assembling systems. To address this challenge, novel bionanohoops\nwere fabricated via “graft from” reversible addition–fragmentation\nchain transfer (RAFT) and supramolecular host–guest chemistry.\nAdmittedly, controllable grafting of vanillin-derived homopolymer\n(PVMA<sub><i>x</i></sub>) from β-cyclodextrin (β-CD)\nto synthesize β-cyclodextrin-grafted poly(vanillin methacrylate)\n(β-CD-<i>g</i>-PVMA<sub><i>x</i></sub>, <i>x</i> = 5, 35, 103) was calculated from <sup>1</sup>H NMR integral\narea, and 2D NOESY demonstrated that the primary structured linear\nhomopolymer chains (β-CD-<i>g</i>-PVMA<sub>5</sub>) were linked to each other by host–guest interactions. Additionally,\nGPC results illustrated that the secondary structured nanohoops ([β-CD-<i>g</i>-PVMA<sub>5</sub>]<sub><i>y</i></sub>, <i>y</i> = 38 or 364) were self-assembled in situ from β-CD-<i>g</i>-PVMA<sub>5</sub> through supramolecular host–guest\nchemistry. Compared with stacking nanorods, nanohoops not only exhibited\nexcellent antibacterial and antifungal activities but also presented\ngood biocompatibility and better paint adhesion. Overall, we provided\na valuable strategy that constructs antimicrobial bionanohoops by\ncombining “graft from” RAFT and supramolecular host–guest\nchemistry for addressing microbial infections.