Synthesis of TiO2 nanoparticles by electrochemical method and their antibacterial application

Abstract

Titanium dioxide nanoparticles were successfully prepared by electrochemical method. The tetra propyl ammonium bromide salt was used as stabilizing agent in an organic medium viz. tetra hydro furan (THF) and acetonitrile (ACN) in 4:1 ratio by optimizing current density. The parameters such as current density, solvent polarity, distance between electrodes and concentration of stabilizers were used to control the size of nanoparticles. The synthesized titanium dioxide nanoparticles were characterized by using UV–Visible spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectrophotometer (EDS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis techniques. TEM analysis proved a nearly tetragonal structure with size of 25–30 nm which was in agreement with the result calculated from the XRD analysis. EDS analysis revealed the presence of Ti and O element. The nanoparticles were screened for their in vitro antibacterial activity against human pathogens such as gram negative Escherichia coli (E. coli), and gram positive Staphylococcus aureus strains and which proved excellent results. Keywords: Titania nanoparticles, Tetra propyl ammonium bromide salt, Electrochemical reduction method, Human pathogens, Antimicrobial activity