Improved antimicrobial and antibiofilm efficacy of adaptable BaTi2Fe4O11−(x)NiFe2O4 nanoceramics: investigating microstructural and spectroscopic analysis

Abstract

Abstract In the pursuit of multifunctional applications, researchers face a crucial challenge in creating an efficient and economically viable perovskite-ferrite nanomaterial. In response to this challenge, multifunctional (1−x)BaTi2Fe4O11−(x)NiFe2O4 (BTF−xNFO) nanoceramics, where (x = 0.1–0.7), were successfully synthesized using the sol-gel method at a temperature of 550 °C. The XRD and FTIR were used to identify the crystal and chemical structure of the multifunctional nanocomposites. The XRD analysis confirms the emergence of a multiphase structure, with iron barium titanate adopting a hexagonal crystalline structure and nickel ferrite assuming a cubic crystalline arrangement. Moreover, the relative dielectric permittivity showcases frequency-dependent tendencies, showcasing a pronounced decline as the frequency increases. The obtained results highlighted the remarkable antimicrobial and antibiofilm potentials of BTF-7NF across all tested microbes. The study assessed the minimum inhibitory and biocidal concentrations of a specific nanocomposite. In terms of its antibiofilm properties, it was found that a concentration of 200 µg/ml of this nanocomposite (BTF-7NF) effectively eliminated biofilm formation.These findings strongly suggest BTF-7NF as a promising alternative antibacterial agent, capable of preventing harmful bacterial biofilm formation at exceptionally low concentrations.

Keywords

• Perovskite
• Sol gel BaTiO3
• Hexagonal structure
• Antibacterial and antibiofilm agents