Poly(vinylidene fluoride)-based film with strong antimicrobial activity

[Display omitted] •Preparation of PVDF-based polymers with quaternary ammonium or quaternary pyridinium groups.•The polymers show the antimicrobial rates of >99.99% against S. aureus, E. coli, and C. albicans.•Polymer blends of small amounts of the polymers (i.e. 1 wt%, 5 wt%) and pristine PVDF.•The blends exhibit enhanced film properties compared with pristine PVDF without phase separation.•The blend films have higher antimicrobial performances and excellent biocompatibility. Poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) and its copolymers have been extensively utilized owing to their fascinating properties such as thermal stability, chemical resistance, and mechanical robustness. However, their lack of microbial resistance is considered a drawback that limits their adoption as biomedical materials. In this study, to overcome this problem, PVDF-based antimicrobial polymers were prepared by grafting quaternary ammonium or quaternary pyridinium monomers. The polymers could effectively kill gram-positive S. aureus, gram-negative E. coli, and the pathogenic yeast C. albicans (antimicrobial rates > 99.99%). Using the polymer blending method, 1 wt% or 5 wt% of the polymers were added to the pristine PVDF film to provide antimicrobial properties. The blend films exhibited enhanced mechanical properties compared to those of pristine PVDF and notably higher antimicrobial performances (>99% for Blend-Q4VP-5); moreover, they were all biocompatible.