Synthesis and Characterisation of Metal-based Antibacterial Hydrogels

With concerning rise of antibacterial resistance, many bacterial infections such as chronic wound infections are becoming un-treatable. As metals are able to achieve bacterial inhibition via multiple routes, metal-based therapeutics were explored. This thesis was focussed on synthesising novel bismuth(III) and silver(I)-based complexes that demonstrated antibacterial potential against resistant bacteria. Simultaneously, other metals such as sodium(I) and zinc(II) were used to develop hydrogel-based wound dressings that were loaded with antibacterial drugs like gentamicin. Cold atmospheric plasma was applied on these hydrogels to explore cold plasma’s role in triggering release of antibacterial from metal-based hydrogels.