Characterization and potent bactericidal effect of Cobalt doped Titanium dioxide nanofibers

We report the successful fabrication and characterization of novel cobalt doped titanium dioxide nanofibers and their antibacterial property. The Co-doped TiO2 nanofibers were prepared by a facile electrospinning technique. The physicochemical characterization of the electrospun nanofibers was carried out by XRD, SEM-EDX and TEM. The antibacterial activity was tested against two common foodborne pathogenic bacteria such as Staplylococcus aureus (Gram-positive) and Salmonella typhimurium (Gram-negative). Bactericidal effects were determined by the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) method and TEM analysis respectively. Our results suggested that the Co-doped TiO2 nanofibers severely inhibit the growth of the selected strains. The results of TEM investigation demonstrated that exposure of bacteria to the Co-doped TiO2 nanofibers lead to disruption of cell membranes and respective membrane enzymes which caused bacteria to die eventually. The observed superior antimicrobial action of Co-doped TiO2 as compared to virgin TiO2 nanofibers is due to the synergistic impact of cobalt oxide and TiO2.