Long-term stability and antibacterial efficiency of Cu-Zn co-doped cobalt ferrite-based composites

A series of copper-zinc co-doped cobalt ferrite nanoparticles (CF-NPs) were prepared successfully using the sol-gel auto-combustion method. The XRD results revealed the formation of cubic crystals. FTIR studies suggested that doping and co-doping did not disturb the octahedral shape of the spinel. None of the samples showed significant weight loss in TGA. All the samples were almost thermally stable when studied using DSC. Images of FESEM showed that the particles were agglomerated. VSM confirmed the change in saturation magnetisation as well as coercivity values. TEM revealed the morphology and size of the particles. In this study, we focused on the antibacterial activities and long-term stabilities of different doped and co-doped samples of CF-NPs with copper and zinc ions. Their antibacterial activities were examined via the agar disk diffusion test against Bacillus paranthracis and Bacillus nitratireducens. ZnO/Ag composite/s of these synthesised samples were also prepared and studied to examine their antibacterial activities. The results revealed that co-doped CF-NPs and their composites with high dopant concentrations exhibited enhanced antibacterial activity, indicating their potential for various biomedical applications.