New Smart Polymeric Materials with Optical Sensing Properties: Determination of Antimicrobial Properties Using Photodynamic Therapy
- 1Departamento de Química, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, Matemáticas y Medio Ambiente, Universidad Tecnológica Metropolitana, J. P. Alessandri 1242, Ñuñoa, Santiago 7800002, Chile
- 2Departamento de Química Orgánica, Facultad de Química y de Farmacia, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago 7820436, Chile
- 3Laboratorio de Microbiología Molecular y Fotodinámica, Centro de Ciencias Médicas Aplicadas, Facultad de Medicina y Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Central de Chile, Lord Cochrane 418, Santiago 8330546, Chile
Abstract
Antimicrobial resistance has intensified the search for non-antibiotic strategies activated by external stimuli, including antimicrobial photodynamic therapy. In this work, a hybrid system based on spiropyran-functionalized poly(maleic anhydride-alt-acrylic acid), P(MAn-alt-AA)-SP, and CdTe@ZnS quantum dots incorporated at 5 wt.% was prepared and characterized. Structural, thermal, morphological, and optical properties were evaluated by 1H NMR, FTIR, TGA, UV–Vis spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy, TEM, and XRD. Irradiation at 365 nm induced the conversion of spiropyran SP to merocyanine MC, evidenced by the appearance of an absorption band near 559 nm and a visible color change. CdTe@ZnS quantum dots exhibited an average diameter of 3.29 ± 0.94 nm, while the hybrid system displayed a broad emission band centered at approximately 635 nm, whose intensity depended on molecular oxygen. Antibacterial assays against methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus showed increased activity after irradiation, with the hybrid formulation exhibiting the highest mean inhibition among the evaluated systems. Overall, the results are consistent with an interaction between the photoactive polymer and quantum dots and consistent with the participation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in photodynamic processes, highlighting the potential of this hybrid material for the development of light-responsive antimicrobial platforms. These findings support future antimicrobial coatings and surface applications.
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BibTeX
@article{valdes2026smart,
title = {{New Smart Polymeric Materials with Optical Sensing Properties: Determination of Antimicrobial Properties Using Photodynamic Therapy}},
author = {Tomás Valdés and Isabel Cáceres and Oscar G. Marambio and Julio Sánchez and Christian Erick Palavecino and Guadalupe del C. Pizarro},
journal = {Polymers},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3390/polym18202478},
url = {https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/18/20/2478},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - New Smart Polymeric Materials with Optical Sensing Properties: Determination of Antimicrobial Properties Using Photodynamic Therapy
AU - Tomás Valdés
AU - Isabel Cáceres
AU - Oscar G. Marambio
AU - Julio Sánchez
AU - Christian Erick Palavecino
AU - Guadalupe del C. Pizarro
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/01
JO - Polymers
DO - 10.3390/polym18202478
UR - https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/18/20/2478
AB - Antimicrobial resistance has intensified the search for non-antibiotic strategies activated by external stimuli, including antimicrobial photodynamic therapy. In this work, a hybrid system based on spiropyran-functionalized poly(maleic anhydride-alt-acrylic acid), P(MAn-alt-AA)-SP, and CdTe@ZnS quantum dots incorporated at 5 wt.% was prepared and characterized. Structural, thermal, morphological, and optical properties were evaluated by 1H NMR, FTIR, TGA, UV–Vis spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy, TEM, and XRD. Irradiation at 365 nm induced the conversion of spiropyran SP to merocyanine MC, evidenced by the appearance of an absorption band near 559 nm and a visible color change. CdTe@ZnS quantum dots exhibited an average diameter of 3.29 ± 0.94 nm, while the hybrid system displayed a broad emission band centered at approximately 635 nm, whose intensity depended on molecular oxygen. Antibacterial assays against methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus showed increased activity after irradiation, with the hybrid formulation exhibiting the highest mean inhibition among the evaluated systems. Overall, the results are consistent with an interaction between the photoactive polymer and quantum dots and consistent with the participation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in photodynamic processes, highlighting the potential of this hybrid material for the development of light-responsive antimicrobial platforms. These findings support future antimicrobial coatings and surface applications.
SN - 2073-4360
ER -