| Summary: | Photodynamic antimicrobial chemotherapy (PACT) employs the use of a photosensitiser (PS), light and oxygen to produce highly toxic singlet oxygen (1O2) and other reactive oxygen species, which are capable of reducing the microbial load either in a solution or on a material. In this thesis, hydrogel systems employing a range of surface-localised photosensitisers were developed. A linear relationship between increasing illumination power and 1O2 production rates was observed when an appropriate illumination source was applied to the PS-incorporated hydrogel copolymers. Synthesis of broad-spectrum antimicrobial, bulk and particle hydrogel copolymers, with PS localised at the materials surface was achieved. A reduction in bacterial adherence to the surface of bulk PS-incorporated copolymers of up to 3.4 log was achieved. Either complete eradication, or a log reduction of ≥ 3, for a range of microorganisms was observed when the PS-incorporated particles were illuminated. The developed light-sensitive materials have potential applications as materials for medical devices or for use in pharmaceutical formulations.
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