Facile synthesis of go Id nanoparticles on propylamine functionalized SBA-15 and effect of surface functionality of its enhanced bactericidal activity against gram positive bacteria

The facile synthesis of an SBA-15-pr- super(+)NH sub(3).Au super(0) nano-hybrid material by spontaneous autoreduction of aqueous chloroaurate anions on propylamine functionalized SBA-15 was successfully demonstrated. The as-synthesized SBA-15-pr- super(+)NH sub(3).Au super(0) nano-hybrid material was well characterized using low and wide angle x-ray diffraction (XRD), N sub(2) adsorption-desorption isotherms, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDX), x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), UV-Visible spectroscopy and atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS). The activity of the nano-hybrid material as a potent bactericidal agent was successfully tested against Gram positive/negative bacteria viz. Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The colony killing percentage of Gram positive bacteria was found to be higher than Gram negative bacteria due to the stronger electrostatic interaction between the positively-charged amine functionality of SBA-15 and the negatively charged functionality of the bacterial cell wall.