Conjugated Polyelectrolyte–Silver Nanostructure Pair for Detection and Killing of Bacteria

A multifunctional bioassay platform based on conjugated polyelectrolytes (CPs)–silver nanostructure pair is successfully developed for detection and killing of bacteria. The conjugated backbone and hydrophilic side chains of cationic CPs allow them to capture Escherichia coli on the surface of the platform. The captured bacteria induced fluorescence response of CPs coupled with plasmon-enhanced fluorescence from the Ag nanostructure yields a bioassay platform for bacterial detection. Moreover, the strong antimicrobial activity of CPs, originating from its conducting polymer backbone, suggests great promise for applications as an efficient antibacterial system. This new platform permits bacterial detection and also shows antimicrobial activity suggesting great promise for application as a novel multifunctional sensing and antibacterial system.