Antibacterial Performance of Fe₂O₃ Nanoparticles Synthesized via Biosynthesis from Chitosan

In this study, Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles were synthesized by a hydrothermal method using chitosan extract and ferric chloride (FeCl₃) as precursor at 150 °C. The hydrothermal approach provides precise control over the size and morphology of the nanoparticles by promoting the decomposition and crystallization of the precursors near their evaporation temperatures. The aim of this study was to quantify the antibacterial activity of the nanoparticles to regulate the production of Fe₂O₃ NPs. The optical and structural properties of Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles (NPs) were investigated and tested using various techniques, including X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) spectroscopy and photoluminescence (PL). The crystal size and hexagonal structure of Fe₂O₃ NPs in the range of 10 to 25 nm were determined by XRD. In addition, FESEM images were used for measurement. The morphology and particle size of the Fe₂O₃ NPs, which is between 15.63 and 56.84 nm due to the aggregation of the nanoparticles. The UV-visible spectra were used to calculate the direct and indirect optical band gap versus hν of the Fe₂O₃ NPs prepared by the hydrothermal method from chitosan extract NPs. These are 3.8 eV and 3.6 eV, respectively. The band edge emission of Fe₂O₃ NPs was about 2.57 eV as measured by photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. Inhibition zones of 40 mm in size were observed for Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli.