Disinfectants role in the prevention of spreading the COVID-19 and other infectious diseases: The need for functional polymers!

The spreading of coronavirus through droplets and aerosols of an infected person is a well-known mechanism. The main protection methods from this virus are using disinfectants/sanitizers, face masks, keeping social distance, and vaccination. With the rapid mutations of the virus accompanied by its features and contagions changing, new advanced functional materials development is highly needed.

Poly(α-hydroxy acid)s and poly(α-hydroxy acid-co-α-amino acid)s derived from amino acid.

Polyesters derived from the α-hydroxy acids, lactic acid, and glycolic acid, are the most common biodegradable polymers in clinical use. These polymers have been tailored for a range of applications that require a physical material possessing. The physical and mechanical properties of these polymers fit the specific application and also safely biodegrade.

Poly(lactic acid) based hydrogels.

Polylactide (PLA) and its copolymers are hydrophobic polyesters used for biomedical applications. Hydrogel medicinal implants have been used as drug delivery vehicles and scaffolds for tissue engineering, tissue augmentation and more. Since lactides are non-functional, they are copolymerized with hydrophilic monomers or conjugated to a hydrophilic moiety to form hydrogels.

Injectable formulations of poly(lactic acid) and its copolymers in clinical use.

Poly(lactic acid) and its copolymers have revolutionized the field of drug delivery due to their excellent biocompatibility and tunable physico-chemical properties. These copolymers have served the healthcare sector by contributing many products to combat various diseases and for biomedical applications. This article provides a comprehensive overview of clinically used products of poly(lactic acid) and its copolymers.

Castor Oil-Based Biodegradable Polyesters.

This Review compiles the synthesis, physical properties, and biomedical applications for the polyesters based on castor oil and ricinoleic acid. Castor oil has been known for its medicinal value since ancient times. It contains ∼90% ricinoleic acid, which enables direct chemical transformation into polyesters without interference of other fatty acids.

Synthesis and Characterization of a Novel Phenolic Lipid for Use as Potential Lipophilic Antioxidant and as a Prodrug of Butyric Acid.

Ferulic acid was modified to produce a novel phenolipid containing butyl chains. Ferulic acid was esterified with butanol to produce butyl ferulate which was further dihydroxylated followed by esterification with butyric anhydride to produce the phenolipid containing butyric acid. IR, NMR and MS techniques confirmed the structure of the synthesized structured lipophilic phenolic compound.

Polysaccharide-Based Conjugates for Biomedical Applications.

Polysaccharides contain different functional groups (such as hydroxyl, amino, carboxylic acid, aldehydes) that make them ideal for conjugation. They are biodegradable, biocompatible, and hydrophilic. Polysaccharide conjugates have been used in drug, gene, and macromolecule delivery, tissue engineering, and other biomedical applications.

Controlled iodine release from polyurethane sponges for water decontamination.

Iodinated polyurethane (IPU) sponges were prepared by immersing sponges in aqueous/organic solutions of iodine or exposing sponges to iodine vapors. Iodine was readily adsorbed into the polymers up to 100% (w/w). The adsorption of iodine on the surface was characterized by XPS and SEM analyses.