Dye degradation and antimicrobial efficacy of cesium-doped Y₂O₃ nanostructures: in silico docking study

Developing multifunctional nanomaterials is crucial to rising global concerns over environmental contamination caused by dye effluents and antibiotic resistance. This work presents cesium (Cs)-doped Y₂O₃ nanostructures (NSs) as viable options for catalytic dye degradation and antibacterial action. This study prepared yttrium oxide (Y₂O₃) and various (2, 4, and 6 wt%) concentrations of Cs-doped Y₂O₃ NSs via co-precipitation technique. The pure and Cs-doped Y₂O₃ NSs were used to degrade methylene blue (MB) at different pH levels and assess the antibacterial properties against multidrug-resistant (MDR) Escherichia coli (E. coli). The X-ray diffraction spectra of the pure and Cs-doped Y₂O₃ revealed the presence of cubic and monoclinic structures. The UV-vis absorption spectra displayed distinct peaks at 274 nm and a reduction in band gap energy (from 4.94 eV to 4.41 eV) upon incorporation of Cs. Maximum degradation efficiency of up to 99% attributed to 6% Cs-doped Y₂O₃. The bactericidal activity against MDR E. coli exhibited 4.15 mm inhibition zones at higher concentrations of Cs-doped Y₂O₃. The bactericidal mechanism of Cs-Y₂O₃ NSs was further investigated by molecular docking studies for β-lactamase and DNA gyrase enzymes.