2.3.2. Bacterial Growth Inhibition Assay

Bacterium susceptibility to the different ILs was assessed using the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) method.²⁸ For this assay, different concentrations of ILs were prepared by serial dilution of the 50% (v/v) stock solution. The growth of bacteria was monitored using a microplate reader to measure the optical density (OD) at 600 nm, corrected for the absorbance of the corresponding blanks, i.e., the absorbance of the ionic liquids without any bacteria, after 24 h after incubating at 37 °C. The MIC was determined as the lowest concentration of IL at which no visible growth of E. coli was present, i.e., Abs₆₀₀ = 0. The concentration in μmol/mL was calculated using the molecular weight of each IL.