The potential antibacterial application of Mg-doped zinc oxide nanoparticles synthesized through sol-gel method

The present research presents a simple method for preparing Mg-doped ZnO nanoparticles using the sol-gel technique. The characteristics of the nanoparticles were examined through advanced techniques such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. The resulting Mg-doped ZnO nanoparticles displayed a spherical morphology. The antibacterial activity of these nanoparticles was evaluated. Prepared ZnO had a hexagonal wurtzite crystal structure. The incorporation of Mg into ZnO led to a modification of its band gap from 3.23 eV for pure ZnO and 3.18 eV for doped ZnO. MgO has a wider band gap compared to ZnO, and by doping ZnO with Mg, the band gap of the resulting MgZnO alloy can be adjusted. The results exhibited inhibition sizes of 7.7 mm and 6.1 mm against E. coli and S. aureus, respectively. Following Mg doping, the inhibition zone against E. coli and S. aureus increased to 8.3 mm and 9.1 mm, respectively. The results clearly show that the Mg doping have positive effect on the antimicrobial effects against E. coli and S. aureus bacteria.