To combat multiresistant bacteria and discover new antibiotics, scientists increasingly turn to the design and exploration of short artificial polymers. As these polymers can mimic the powerful peptide antibiotics, Paul J. Ragogna and Beth Gillies at Western University, London, ON (Canada), and their groups focus on phosphorus-containing polymers, the polyphosphoniums. Their molecular structure consists of a hydrocarbon backbone and a positively charged phosphorus center in every repeat unit. A balanced display of hydrophobic alkyl chains and positive charges was considered essential for effective adhesion to bacterial cells and membrane disruption. Envisaging still more effective cell lysis, the scientists started to fine-tune this amphiphilic nature of the polyphosphoniums.

However, a collaboration between the University of Pittsburgh's Swanson School of Engineering and Wickliffe, Ohio-based Lubrizol Corporation has unlocked the secrets of PIB's reaction mechanism. The group's findings were published this month in the journal ACS Catalysis.

Principal investigator is Karl Johnson, the William Kepler Whiteford Professor in the Swanson School's Department of Chemical & Petroleum Engineering. Funding for the research was provided by Lubrizol, which in 2014 established a $1.2 million strategic partnership with the Department and Swanson School to jumpstart research innovation that also offers opportunities for undergraduates to participate.