Objective: This paper consists of synthesis of chromium oxide (Cr 2 O 3 ) nanoparticles by sol-gel technique, their characterization and investigation of antibacterial activity of these nanoparticles against pathogenic bacteria by measuring zone of inhibition, colony forming units, and optical density (OD) on solid agar media as well as in liquid medium.
Methods:The Cr 2 O 3 nanoparticles were synthesized by sol-gel technique using tetraethylorthosilicate as precursor. The synthesized Cr 2 O 3 nanoparticles were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) techniques. The antibacterial effect of these Cr 2 O 3 nanoparticles against Klebsiella pneumoniae was investigated both on the solid agar plates and in liquid medium supplemented with different concentrations of Cr 2 O 3 nanoparticles. The antibacterial activity of Cr 2 O 3 nanoparticles was also compared with the antibacterial activities of the standard antibiotics such as ampicillin, chloramphenicol, penicillin G, streptomycin, sulphatriad, and tetracycline which were taken in the form of hexa discs.Results: Average particle size of the Cr 2 O 3 nanoparticles was found to be 24.0 nm. It was observed that K. pneumoniae is resistant to the penicillin G and ampicillin, but Cr 2 O 3 nanoparticles show good antibacterial property. The minimum inhibitory concentration of Cr 2 O 3 for K. pneumoniae is 2.5 mg/ml. The bacterial growth was monitored by measuring zone of Inhibition, colony formation unit, and OD method.
Conclusion:Sol-gel technique is a convenient and easy technique for the synthesis of metal nanoparticles. Nanosized Cr 2 O 3 particles showed an effective antibacterial activity against K. pneumoniae. Therefore, Cr 2 O 3 nanoparticles due to its low manufacturing cost and high effectiveness in antimicrobial properties may find wide applications in various industries to address safety issues.