Multifunctional hydrogel based on ionic liquid with antibacterial performance

Biocompatible antibacterial hydrogels as novel dressing materials have been a widely researched method in modern medical technology. Here, we designed and prepared a new type of multifunctional antibacterial hydrogels that used poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)-tetrahydroxyborate anion (B(OH)(4)(-)) hydrogel as a vector and pyrrolidinium ionic liquids (ILs) as antibacterial drugs. The formation of borate ester bonds between PVA and B(OH)(4)(-) as dynamic network junctions endows hydrogels with multiple functions. Moreover, the as-prepared hydrogel exhibited effective anti-microbial activity against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. Our results indicated that the hydrogels containing ILs with longer alkyl chain exhibited more pronounced antibacterial properties. The moisture retention, self-healing, syringeability and multiresponse behavior together with the antibacterial properties of the hydrogels make them ideal candidates as multifunctional dressing materials for joint skin wound healing. (C) 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.