Cu(I) Metal–Organic Framework Composites with AgCl/Ag Nanoparticles for Irradiation-Enhanced Antibacterial Activity against E. coli

[Image: see text] Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) have emerged as prospective antibacterial agents or synergistic agents for their versatile chemical building components and structures. In this work, copper(I) halide MOFs of Cu(I)bpyCl (bpy = 4,4′-bipyridine) composited with AgCl/Ag nanoparticles were synthesized, and their antibacterial activities were measured against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. The attached chlorine in Cu(I)(2)Cl(2) nodes of the MOFs served as loading sites for silver ions, in which AgCl and concomitant metallic Ag nanoparticles were in situ generated. Exceptional antibacterial activity against E. coli was realized with a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of ∼7.8 μg mL(–1), while the MIC value was ∼16 μg mL(–1) against S. aureus. Enhanced antibacterial activity against E. coli with light irradiation was measured by the disk diffusion method compared with that under dark conditions.