Discovering efficient
antibacterial materials is crucial in the
area of increasing drug resistance. Herein, we synthesized carbon
dots (C-dots) with superior antibacterial activity through a simple
one-step hydrothermal method. In this method, p-phenylenediamine
serves as not only the carbon source but also the origin for the functional
group anchored on the obtained C-dots. The antibacterial activity
of the obtained C-dots was tested against Staphylococcus
aureus and Escherichia coli. The minimum bactericidal concentrations of the synthesized C-dots
against S. aureus and E. coli were 2 and 30 μg/mL, respectively,
which are lower than that of previously reported C-dots. The antibacterial
mechanism was investigated, and the results indicated that a large
number of −NH3
+ groups on the C-dots’
surface enhanced their antibacterial activity. Besides, the C-dots
exhibited negligible cytotoxicity.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.