Facile fabrication of copper-supported ordered mesoporous carbon for antibacterial behavior

Copper-supported ordered mesoporous carbon (Cu/CMK-3) was prepared by impregnating ordered mesoporous carbon (CMK-3) with CuCl2 aqueous solution. CMK-3 was served as a carrier for the continuous immobilization of Cu. The supported copper was observed to be the bivalence state, indicating that the Cu2+ ion was not reduced into cuprous species or metallic copper in the CMK-3. The BET surface area and pore volume of Cu/CMK-3 were 728 m2/g and 0.95 cm3/g, respectively. The antibacterial activities of Cu/CMK-3 were tested by means of minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) and viable cell counting method. The results show that Cu/CMK-3 presents a good antibacterial performance against Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), which indicates its potential applications as antibacterial material for microbiocides.