Polymer coating with antimicrobial materials and methods for producing

1. A method for producing an antimicrobial coating on a surface including a first surface and a second surface that is not parallel to the first surface, the method comprising:

mixing a parylene dimer and an antimicrobial agent to form a mixture;

heating the mixture under at least a partial vacuum to sublimate the parylene dimer and suspend the antimicrobial agent within the sublimated parylene dimer;

pyrolyzing the sublimated parylene dimer under at least a partial vacuum to form a parylene monomer, the antimicrobial agent suspended within the parylene monomer; and

condensing the parylene monomer and the antimicrobial agent together under at least a partial vacuum on the surface to polymerize the parylene monomer and form a coating containing a parylene polymer and the antimicrobial agent, wherein a concentration of the antimicrobial agent in the coating does not differ by more than about 1% between a portion of the first surface and a portion of the second surface.

2. The method of claim 1 , further including treating the coating with an oxygen-containing plasma.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the parylene dimer is selected from the group consisting of [2,2]-paracyclophane, dichloro[2,2]-paracyclophane, tetrachloro-[2,2]-paracyclophane, and octafluoro-[2,2]-paracyclophane.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the antimicrobial agent is present in the mixture in an amount from about 0.0001 wt. % to about 10 wt. %.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein mixing the parylene dimer and the antimicrobial agent includes mixing the parylene dimer and a plurality of antimicrobial nanoparticles, the antimicrobial nanoparticles having an average diameter less than or equal to about 100 nanometers.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the antimicrobial nanoparticles have an average diameter greater than or equal to about 20 nanometers and less than or equal to about 60 nanometers.

7. The method of claim 5 , wherein the antimicrobial nanoparticles include at least one of metallic gold, metallic silver, metallic copper, and combinations thereof.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the antimicrobial nanoparticles consist of metallic silver.

9. The method of claim 5 , wherein the antimicrobial nanoparticles include at least one of gold salt, a silver salt, a copper salt, and combinations thereof.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the antimicrobial nanoparticles are selected from a group consisting of silver nitrate, silver chloride, and combinations thereof.