Bacteria-adsorbed palygorskite stabilizes the quaternary phosphonium salt with specific-targeting capability, long-term antibacterial activity, and lower cytotoxicity.

In order to extend the antibacterial time of quaternary phosphonium salt in bacteria, palygorskite (PGS) is used as the carrier of dodecyl triphenyl phosphonium bromide (DTP), and a DTP-PGS hybrid is prepared. Antibacterial performance of this novel hybrid is investigated for both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. The results show that the DTP could be absorbed on the surface of PGS which had bacteria-adsorbed capability. The DTP-PGS hybrid, combining the advantages of PGS and DTP, display specific-targeting capability, long-term antibacterial activity, and lower cytotoxicity, suggesting the great potential application as PGS-based antibacterial powder.