Electrospun nanotextured Ln@TiO₂ fibers for effective pathogen eradication: a comparative and mechanistic...

The escalating projected demand to battle antibiotic resistant bacteria and Candida infestation guarantee public safety has led focus on development of advanced antimicrobial nanomaterials. Owing to their special qualities and prospectives in a variety of fields, doped titania nanotextured fibers especially those implanted with rare earth elements like cerium, lanthanum, and neodymium have attracted a lot of attention. In current research rare earth (Ln = La, Ce and Nd) doped titania nanofibers have been formulated using facile sol-gel electrospinning, illustrated by XRD, SEM, EDX and TEM. Antibacterial action of doped nanofibers was appraised against representative organism Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans. XRD assessment established that pristine and doped TiO₂ nanofibers possess anatase and rutile phase at 700 °C. It also confirmed that Ln doped TiO₂ probably supports phase alteration. The diameter range of all doped nanofibers spans between 200 and 700 nm. Conclusively, current study demonstrated that Ln@TiO₂ nanofibers possess better antimicrobial activity than pristine TiO₂. The order of antimicrobial activity was observed as Ce@TiO₂ > Nd@TiO₂ > La@TiO₂ > TiO_2. The Ce@TiO₂ nanofibers demonstrated highest activity among tested Ln@ TiO₂ nanofibers. The mechanism of action is likely interceded by inducing oxidative stress that targets components of bacterium and C. albicans.