Sol–Gel-Derived TiO₂ and TiO₂/Cu Nanoparticles: Synthesis, Characterization, and Antibacterial Efficacy

Abstract

This study reports on the antibacterial efficacy of both the TiO 2 and TiO 2 /Cu nanoparticles prepared through the sol−gel method. The materials were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and Brunauer− Emmett−Teller (BET) analysis. The SEM and TEM showed the spherical morphology of the nanoparticles, while EDX and XPS confirmed the incorporation of Cu into the TiO 2 nanoparticles. The XRD confirmed the formation of the tetragonal anatase phase of TiO 2 /Cu while the FTIR revealed the functional groups linked to the doped TiO 2 nanoparticles. The thermal stability of TiO 2 /Cu was found to be lower than pure TiO 2 . Moreover, TiO 2 and the doped TiO 2 nanoparticles were notably effective against Bacillus subtilis (B. subtilis) andEscherichia coli(E. coli); however, the addition of Cu to TiO 2 did not have any effect on the antibacterial activity probably due to the lower weight content in the composites. Interestingly, the antibacterial efficiency was determined to be 90 and 80% against B. subtilis and E. coli, respectively.