ENHANCED ANTIBACTERIAL ACTIVITY OF COPPER-DOPED ZINC FERRITE NANOPARTICLES AGAINST PATHOGENIC BACTERIA

:ZnFe₂O₄ nanoparticles, both undoped and doped with copper, were synthesized via a cost-effective sol-gel method and characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). XRD results confirmed the formation of a single-phase cubic spinel structure in the Cu-doped ZnFe₂O₄, with an average crystallite size of around 37 nm. This was further supported by TEM analysis, which revealed similar particle sizes and confirmed a well-crystallized, spherical morphology, especially in the sample containing 20 wt% Cu. The antibacterial performance was assessed against E. coli and S. aureus using the Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion technique. The findings demonstrated that higher copper doping levels significantly enhance the antibacterial activity of ZnFe₂O₄ nanoparticles.