Construction of Bimetallic Hybrid Multishell Hollow Spheres via Sequential Template Approach for Less Cytotoxic...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Developing effective antibacterial agents with low cytotoxicity is crucial for various applications.
• Traditional nanoparticles like zinc oxide (ZnO) and titanium dioxide (TiO2) show antimicrobial properties but can exhibit toxicity.
• Multishell hollow sphere (MSHS) architectures offer unique properties for material design.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize and characterize zinc and titanium nanoparticles based multishell hollow spheres (ZnO@TiO2 MSHS).
• To compare the antibacterial efficacy and cytotoxicity of ZnO@TiO2 MSHS with pure ZnO and TiO2 nanoparticles (NPs).
• To evaluate the potential of ZnO@TiO2 MSHS as a safe and effective antibacterial agent.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of ZnO@TiO2 MSHS using a sequential template approach (STA).
• Physico-chemical characterization using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and optical transmittance measurements.
• Evaluation of antibacterial activity using the MIZ method.
• Assessment of cytotoxicity through cell toxicity studies.

Main Results:

• FTIR and XRD confirmed enhanced crystallinity of ZnO@TiO2 MSHS synthesized via STA.
• Optical transmittance was significantly enhanced for ZnO@TiO2 MSHS (67.08%) compared to pure ZnO (50.59%) and TiO2 (53.32%) NPs.
• TEM images revealed uniform distribution of zinc and titanium nanoparticles within the MSHS structure.
• Antibacterial activity assays demonstrated effective performance of ZnO@TiO2 MSHS.
• Cytotoxicity studies indicated decreased cell toxicity for ZnO@TiO2 MSHS compared to pure ZnO and TiO2 NPs.

Conclusions:

• ZnO@TiO2 MSHS synthesized via STA exhibit superior physico-chemical properties, including enhanced optical transmittance and crystallinity.
• The synthesized ZnO@TiO2 MSHS demonstrate significant antibacterial activity with reduced cytotoxicity.
• These findings suggest that ZnO@TiO2 MSHS are a promising, safe, and potential antibacterial agent for applications in food packaging, painting, drug delivery, and other fields.