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.

Graphical abstractFigure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slide