An antibacterial silver(I) supramolecular network assembled from thiophene-2,5-dicarboxylate and benzimidazole

A silver(I) supramolecular network Ag(BIm)2(HTDC) (1) was assembled from thiophene-2,5-dicarboxylic acid (H2TDC) and benzimidazole (BIm) ligands and characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, elemental analysis, FT-IR, and thermal gravimetric analysis. Complex 1 possesses a two-dimensional structure with a hydrogen-bonded grid network, in which the adjacent [Ag(BIm)2]+ cations and (HTDC)– are bridged via N–H···O hydrogen bonds forming undulating ribbons. The antibacterial properties of 1 were investigated by determining the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC), the growth curve of bacteria and zone inhibition value assays against Gram-negative bacterium, Escherichia coli, and Gram-positive bacterium, Staphylococcus aureus. The MIC of 1 against E. coli and S. aureus are 15-20 ppm and 20-30 ppm which showed that 1 has higher antibacterial activity than commercial silver nanoparticles. The mechanism of antibacterial activity of 1 was also discussed.