Open AccessFabrication of Fe 3 O 4 /Ag‐TiO 2 magnetic nanocomposite for antibacterial applications
Author(s) -
Hatami Raana,
Allafchian Alireza,
Karimzadeh Fathallah,
Enayati Mohammad Hosein
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
micro and nano letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.25
H-Index - 31
ISSN - 1750-0443
DOI - 10.1049/mna2.12099
Subject(s) - nanocomposite , materials science , chemical engineering , nanoparticle , antibacterial activity , magnetic nanoparticles , nanotechnology , nuclear chemistry , chemistry , bacteria , biology , engineering , genetics
Water pollution is a major cause of fatality in the less developed parts of the world. One of the major concerns in this regard is due to activities of both Gram‐positive and Gram‐negative bacteria. The Fe 3 O 4 /Ag‐TiO 2 nanocomposite, stabilized in a matrix of TEOS–APTES, is prepared in this study via a facile chemical procedure as a potential magnetic antibacterial agent for treating pathogen‐polluted aqueous media. The multifunctioning character of this nanocomposite provides photocatalytic effect of TiO 2 components combined with Ag nanoparticles (AgNPs), as well as separation capability by magnetic response of Fe 3 O 4 particles. To stabilize the nanocomposite formulation, a matrix of TEOS‐APTES is employed as support to facilitate combination of Ag‐TiO 2 nanoparticles with Fe 3 O 4 magnetic cores. When exposed to an external magnetic field, the undesirable release of Ag particles is prevented by the Fe 3 O 4 cores that enable the nanocomposite to be collected from the environment. The magnetic character of the nanocomposite was evidenced by VSM. The morphology of Ag‐TiO 2 nanoparticles, the core–shell structure of Ag‐TiO 2 /Fe 3 O 4 particles, the crystalline structure and hydrodynamic diameter of nanocomposite were investigated by FT‐IR, FE‐SEM, TEM, XRD and DLS analyses. The antibacterial activity of the samples was determined by agar disk diffusion. It was revealed that the Fe 3 O 4 /Ag‐TiO 2 nanocomposite could produce a larger zone of inhibition than Ag + ions and Ag‐TiO 2 , which could be related to the size distribution and synergistic antibacterial effects of Ag and TiO 2 components. The designed nanocomposite formulation could be considered as a promising candidate for antibacterial water treatment applications.