Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Separation Science and Technology (Philadelphia), 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
The development of functional materials to combat antibiotic resistance and ensure environmental biosafety is a key scientific challenge. Here, for the first time, poly[(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate)-(4-vinylphenylboronic acid)] [m-poly(HEMA-VPBA)] microcryogels incorporating magnetic iron (II, III) oxide (Fe3O4) nanoparticles were synthesized via free-radical polymerization under partially frozen conditions. Designed with selective boronate–cis-diol recognition sites, these materials were used for the removal of Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25,923 and Gram-negative Escherichia coli ATCC 11,229. Fe3O4 content (2.31, 4.62, 9.24 mg) was varied to enhance magnetic properties, with characterization performed via scanning electron microscopy (SEM), electron spin resonance (ESR), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and optical microscopy. Incorporating Fe3O4 improved removal efficiency and enabled magnetic recovery and reuse. Neither poly(HEMA-VPBA) nor m-poly(HEMA-VPBA) directly inhibited bacterial growth, but higher Fe3O4 concentrations reduced viability. Increasing VPBA (48.3, 144.9, 360 mg) further enhanced removal, with the highest Fe3O4 (9.24 mg) and VPBA (360 mg) achieving 89.57% removal for E. coli and 85.39% for S. aureus. This dual-functionality, reusable, and nontoxic platform fills a critical gap in cryogel-based bacterial separation technologies for infection control and environmental biosafety.