Fabrication of pDMAEMA-coated silica nanoparticles and their enhanced antibacterial activity

Thin pDMAEMA shells were formed on the surface of silica nanoparticles via vapor deposition polymerization. Scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and elemental analysis have been used to characterize the resulting pDMAEMA-coated silica nanoparticles. Electron microscopy studies reveal that the thin polymer shell is formed on the silica surface. In this work, the particle diameter can be controlled (from ~19 to ~69 nm) by varying the size of silica core. The antibacterial performance of the core-shell nanoparticles was investigated against both Gram-positive (Escherichia coli) and Gram-negative (Staphylococcus aureus) bacteria. Importantly, the nano-sized pDMAEMA particles presented antibacterial activity against both bacteria without additional quaternization due to its enlarged surface area. Additionally, the bactericidal efficiency was enhanced by reducing the particle size, because the expanded surface area of the cationic polymer nanoparticles provides more active sites that can kill the bacteria.