An efficient strategy to achieve hydrophilic polymeric silver(I) materials with exceptional antibacterial activity.

Three isomeric water-soluble and light-stable silver(I) coordination polymers with a fluorinated carboxylate ligand were prepared by template-controlled method, which show different 2D polymeric coordination structures with a novel layered inorganic connectivity in the solid state. In water solution, they dissociate into several stable polynuclear silver(I) oligomers and exhibit extraordinary antimicrobial activities against selected bacteria.