Novel regenerable N-halamine polymeric biocides. III. Grafting hydantoin-containing monomers onto synthetic fabrics

A novel cyclic-amine monomer, 3-allyl-5,5-dimethylhydantoin (ADMH) was synt hesized and characterized. ADMH alone could not be grafted onto ordinary po lymers. However, the presence of triallyl-1,3,5-triazine-2,4,6(1H,3H,5H)-tr ione (TATAT) remarkably enhanced the ADMH grafting yield onto synthetic fab rics. The influences of reaction conditions on the grafting copolymerizatio n were investigated. After chlorine bleach treatment, hydantoin units in th e grafted copolymers were transformed into N-halamine structures. Treated s amples exhibited potent antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli, an d the functional properties were shown to be durable and regenerable. (C) 2 001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.