Influence of Zinc Content on the Morphology and the Antimicrobial Activity of Magnesium Ferrite Nanoparticles

In this research, soft ferrite ceramic nanoparticles with the chemical formula Mg(۱-x)ZnxFe۲O۴ were prepared with varying amounts of zinc (x = ۰, ۰.۴) using the chemical reduction method under microwave irradiation. The study investigated the effect of iron precursors, such as iron (III) chloride alone and the simultaneous use of iron (III) and (II) chlorides, on the production of nanoparticles to achieve higher crystallinity. Phase formations and changes in lattice parameters with varying zinc content in magnesium ferrite were analyzed using X-ray diffraction (XRD). The results showed that all obtained ferrite compositions have a pure phase and a cubic spinel crystal structure, and the lattice parameter increases with the increase in zinc content. The highest saturation magnetization of ۴۱ emu/g was obtained in the composition with x = ۰.۴. Additionally, using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), the shape of magnesium-zinc ferrite nanoparticles with x = ۰.۴ was determined to be pseudo-spherical, with an average particle size distribution of ۲۵ nm. The antibacterial assessment demonstrated that magnesium-zinc ferrite nanoparticles exhibit significantly more antibacterial properties compared to pure magnesium ferrite against both types of bacteria, i.e., Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus).

کلیدواژه ها:

Microwave ، Antibacterial ، Magnesium-zinc Ferrite ، Magnetism.