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. 2025 Jul 29;10(31):34548-34558.
doi: 10.1021/acsomega.5c03160. eCollection 2025 Aug 12.

Synthesis, Characterization, and Potential Applications of New Silica-Phosphonium Nanoparticles

Matan Nissim  1   2 , Sivan Shoshani  1   3 , Gila Jacobi  1   3 , Elena Afrimzon  1   3 , Laura Levy  2 , Ehud Banin  1   3 , Aviv Dombrovsky  4 , Shlomo Margel  1   2
Affiliations

Synthesis, Characterization, and Potential Applications of New Silica-Phosphonium Nanoparticles

Matan Nissim et al. ACS Omega. .

Abstract

Although many bacterial species are vital to human health and are important in the food industry, some species lead to disease, which has promoted the development of antibacterial agents to reduce infection and illness. However, antibiotics can be toxic and increase bacterial resistance. Recently, we synthesized new silane-phosphonium monomers to form cross-linked thin coatings on polypropylene films. The produced silica-phosphonium coatings act as antibiofilm and antiviral agents. Here, we prepared and characterized poly-(silane-phosphonium) nanoparticles (NPs) by a modified Stöber polymerization process and characterized them by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), dynamic light scattering (DLS), zeta (ζ) potential, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. These newly formed NPs illustrate great potential in inhibiting (), (), (), (), and the tomato brown rugose fruit virus (ToBRFV). These NPs are toxic to mammalian cells but may have potential use for a variety of agricultural, environmental, and medical applications, as discussed in the article.

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Figures

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Silane-phosphonium monomer structures (TPPPETS and TOPPETS).
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Synthetic scheme of silica-phosphonium NPs (TPPPETS/TOPPETS NPs).
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SEM images of (a) SiO2, (b) TPPPETS, and (c) TOPPETS NPs.
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Hydrodynamic size histograms by intensity (a), volume (b), and number (c) of SiO2 (red), TPPPETS (blue), and TOPPETS (green) NPs.
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ζ-potential as a function of pH of SiO2 (red), TPPPETS (blue), and TOPPETS (green) NPs.
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XPS spectra of SiO2 (red), TPPPETS (blue), and TOPPETS (green) NPs.
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FTIR spectra of SiO2 (red), TPPPETS (blue), and TOPPETS (green) NPs.
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Cytotoxicity test results on (a) HaCat and (b) 293T cells. The asterisks (*) indicate p-value <0.05 according to the t test.
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Biological assay of ToBRFV on Nicotiana glutinosa plants: (a) positive control, (b) SiO2, (c) TPPPETS, and (d) TOPPETS NPs.
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Biological assay of ToBRFV on tomato plants of the different NPs. (a) Positive control, (b) SiO2, (c) TPPPETS, and (d) TOPPETS NPs.
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