As the ever-growing demand for healthy living

there is a keen interest in materials capable of killing harmful microorganisms in both academic and industry fields. Recently

research on polymeric biocides have been prosperous due to their inherent nature of bearing a higher local density of active functional groups in the vicinity of polymer chains

longer duration of action

reduced toxicity

lower irritation to human beings as well as diverse modification. Among them

polymeric quaternary ammoniums (PQAs) have been widely investigated. Thus

in this article

progress on several kinds of novel PQAs developed in recent years was introduced according to their different skeleton configuration. Meanwhile

future applications and perspectives in the field of antimicrobial PQAs were also discussed.