Optical properties of chromium oxide (III) nanoparticles and assessment of their antibacterial activity

Abstract

The present work reports the optical properties of Cr2O3 nanoparticles by using the sol-gel method and evaluation of its antibacterial activity. The morphological and structural analyses of Cr2O3 have been carried out by X-ray diffraction (XRD) methods and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy tool was used for investigating the defects present in Cr2O3 nanopowder. To investigate the antibacterial effectiveness of Cr2O3 nanoparticles, they were applied to a medium containing Escherichia coli (E. coli) by using Kirby Bauer disc diffusion method. Nanosized Cr2O3 particles showed significant antibacterial effects on the growth of E. coli and this effect varied with the concentration of Cr2O3. Thus, Cr2O3 nanoparticles prepared through sol-gel method, due to simple manufacturing and effective antibacterial properties may find broad applications in various industries to address safety issues.