Catalyst Reincarnation: Post-Polymerisation Functionality of Ring-Opening Polymerisation Catalysts as Bioactive Additives in Biomedical Devices

This thesis presents the novel design and development of antimicrobial poly-lactide polymers with the purpose of preventing infections following joint-replacement surgeries. It describes the development of metal-based systems that not only act as catalysts for polymerization but also impart antimicrobial properties to the polymer. The work focuses on three main areas: synthesizing the metal system, producing the polymers, and assessing their antimicrobial activity, with various techniques from inorganic chemistry, polymer chemistry, and microbiology used to analyze the catalysts, reactions and products.