Sustainable Synthesis and Characterization of Iron-Doped Zinc Oxide Nanosheets for Antibacterial Activity

This study’s finding contributes to developing more efficient antibacterial agents for water disinfection. This study aims to demonstrate the development of zinc oxide nanosheets doped with iron. These sheets were produced through a low-cost and incredibly effective method. The impact of the Fe dopant on the composition, shape, and optical characteristics of the Fe-doped ZnO nanoparticles was analyzed. Fe-doped ZnO particles display a sheet-like morphology. As a result of iron doping, the crystallinity quality gradually decreased, and the average crystal size decreased. A strong absorption edge was observed around 380 nm in the absorption spectrum in the case of both doped and undoped ZnO samples. After Fe doping, the intensity of absorption spectra increased monotonically in a higher wavelength range, and consequently, the band gap decreased from 3.25 to 2.38 eV. Finally, Fe-doped ZnO particles show antibacterial activity against two pathogens, Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and Escherichia coli (E. coli) under both UV and visible light irradiation. These advancements in Fe-doped ZnO nanosheets present a promising avenue for developing effective antibacterial materials, addressing the critical challenge of antibiotic resistance.