Bacteria and other types of microbes growing on surfaces are sources of biological contamination and infectious diseases, and thus a health hazard, especially in health-related scenarios such as hospitals, day care centers, and elderly’s home care. To address this problem and prevent infections, coatings containing biologically active materials that function as antimicrobial agents can be developed to inhibit or kill microbes at the surfaces of interest. Some commonly studied materials for this purpose include inorganic species such as metals (e.g., Ag, Pt, Fe), metal oxides (e.g., TiO2), and transition metal complexes, although some biologically active organic compounds have been the subject of study. In this project, we take advantage of some organometallic compounds and the electrochemical properties that relate to their biological activity, to assess the possibility of producing antimicrobial coatings that will arrest microbial growth. We propose the immobilization of a series of biologically active ferrocenyl chalcones in Nafion®. These compounds have inherent biological activity, and in many cases, this activity is directly related to the electrochemical ability of the ferrocene moiety to produce hydroxyl radicals that can damage DNA. We compared the compounds’ electrochemical properties when immobilized in Nafion® versus those exhibited in solution, to see if they hold when immobilized in the coating, and along with other chemical and physical parameters, found that these compounds appear to be suitable for the intended purposes. This work will contribute to expanding the library of options of available materials for antimicrobial coatings.

Electrochemical studies of ferrocenyl chalcones immobilized in Nafion®

253rd National Meeting (2017)

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