| Abstract: | This invention relates to methods for chemically grafting and attaching
ceragenin molecules to polymer substrates; methods for synthesizing
ceragenin-containing copolymers; methods for making ceragenin-modified
water treatment membranes and spacers; and methods of treating
contaminated water using ceragenin-modified treatment membranes and
spacers. Ceragenins are synthetically produced antimicrobial peptide
mimics that display broad-spectrum bactericidal activity.
Alkene-functionalized ceragenins (e.g., acrylamide-functionalized
ceragenins) can be attached to polyamide reverse osmosis membranes using
amine-linking, amide-linking, UV-grafting, or silane-coating methods. In
addition, silane-functionalized ceragenins can be directly attached to
polymer surfaces that have free hydroxyls. |