Antimicrobial activity of cobalt imidazolate metal–organic frameworks

• Two cobalt imidazolate MOFs used as a bactericidal material.
• The control of release of metal gives excellent antibacterial activities and durability against gram negative bacteria.
• Their preparation is simple, relatively cheap and with easily accessible commercial ligands.
• These hybrid materials opens up novel visions for biological applications of MOFs.

Two cobalt imidazolate metal–organic frameworks were evaluated as a bactericidal material against the growth of the Gram-negative bacteria Pseudomonas putida and Escherichia coli.Under the most unfavourable conditions, within the exponential growth phase and in the culture media for both microorganisms, the growth inhibition reached over 50% for concentrations of biocidal material in the 5–10 mg L−1 range. The release of metal gives excellent durability with the antibacterial effect persisting after 3 months. Both cobalt-based materials can be prepared with simple, cheap and easily accessible commercial ligands, leading to a more affordable possible future application as antimicrobial materials.

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