Excellent photocatalytic and antibacterial performance of silver and cobalt doped MnO nanoparticles

Abstract Metals (Ag, Fe, Co and Ag+Co)-doped MnO nanoparticles are synthesized by sol–gel method and are investigated for photocatalytic and antibacterial activities. The synthesized nanoparticles are characterized by x-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopic (SEM) techniques to determine the structural and morphological properties. The XRD results indicate the successful incorporation of the doped-metal elements into the lattice and changes in the crystallite sizes. The SEM micrographs indicate nano-porous and agglomerated grains after the doping and maximum nano-porosity is estimated for Co and Ag+Co doped nanoparticles. Methylene-blue (MB) dye is used to measure the photocatalytic activity which indicates the degradation of 94% for Ag+Co doped nanoparticles in only 30 min. The antibacterial activities of the nanoparticles are investigated against pathogenic bacteria by using the cultures of Bacillus, Escherichia Coli , Streptococcus and Cocci. The dose quantities are varied and compared with the standard Amikacin medicine that is commercially used for antifungal treatment. It is found that inhibition zones increase up to five times than the standard against Bacillus, Escherichia Coli and Cocci and doubles for Streptococcus at the dose level higher than 20 μ l. These results indicate that Ag+Co doped MnO nanoparticles show the excellent photocatalytic performance and the best antibacterial results against the Bacillus bacteria.