Large-Pore Periodic Mesoporous Organosilicas as Advanced Bactericide Platforms

Despite the versatility of periodic mesoporous organosilicas (PMOs), the bactericide capacity of these hybrid platforms has seldom been explored. Herein, we describe the synthesis of large-pore phenylene-bridged PMOs, mesostructured by polyion complex (PIC) micelles (PICPMOs) incorporating an antibiotic, neomycin B. A key feature of this approach is that the bioactive molecules are directly encapsulated within the PICPMOs during their formation. The engineered PICPMOs exhibit a well-ordered hexagonal mesophase with a molecular-scale crystallinity and large mesopores (8 nm), which facilitates pH-triggered delivery of the drug. The results obtained with a pathogenic Escherichia coli strain clearly demonstrate the potential of such PICPMOs for antibacterial applications.