Di-, tri-, and tetra-aldehydes have been employed to access new [2 + 2] [2 + 3] and [2 + 4] double-layer Schiff base macrocycles. The [2 + 3] compound has been used for the immobilization of Pd and the resulting composite has been employed as a peroxidase-like mimetic using 3,3',5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) as the substrate; the optimum conditions together with the catalytic kinetics of the enzyme-like activity is discussed. Based on the peroxidase-like catalytic activity, the Pd@Schiff base composite was found to exhibit excellent bactericidal activity against both Escherichia coli (Gram-negative bacterium) and Staphylococcus aureus (Gram-positive bacterium) in the presence of relatively low concentrations of H2O2. Furthermore, cytotoxicity measurements illustrate the biosafety of the Pd composite. The above-mentioned findings have the potential to guide the innovation of new Pd-based composites as enzyme mimetics and antibacterial materials.
Keywords: Pd composite; Schiff base macrocycle; antibacterial; peroxidase-like activity.