Impact of Mg-doping on the structural, optical, and magnetic properties of CuO nanoparticles and their antibiofilm activity

Doping in metal oxide systems is being chased by many researchers since it is enhancing their properties. In the present study, Cu 1-x Mg x O nanoparticles, capped with EDTA were synthesized by the chemical co-precipitation method, with x = 0.000, 0.005, 0.010, 0.015, and 0.020, and further characterized by different techniques. The impact of doping by Mg 2+ ions on the structural, optical, and magnetic properties of CuO nanoparticles was investigated and the antibacterial activity of the synthesized nanoparticles was studied by antibiofilm screening. The x-ray Powder Diffraction (XRD) patterns show the formation of a pure CuO phase with a good incorporation of Mg-dopant into the CuO lattice due to the comparable ionic radii of Cu 2+ and Mg 2+ ions. The Mg-dopant increases the crystallite size from 25 nm (at x = 0.000) to 28.12 nm (at x = 0.020). The Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) images reveal the effect of Mg-doping on the morphology of CuO nanoparticles by decreasing their agglomeration, resulting in more uniform spherical-shaped nanoparticles. Energy Dispersive x-ray (EDX) and x-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) confirm the purity and the successful development of Mg-doped CuO nanoparticles. The changes in the characteristic vibrational modes of CuO are studied by Raman spectra, upon Mg-doping. Furthermore, the optical properties explored by Ultraviolet-Visible (UV–vis) spectroscopy reveal a redshift of the absorption peaks of CuO nanoparticles due to the Mg-doping. The energy gap (E g ) is affected by Mg-doping, where its broadening is attributed to the quantum confinement effect in CuO. The magnetic properties were investigated by Vibrating Sample Magnetometer (VSM) at room temperature. Cu 1-x Mg x O nanoparticles have combined paramagnetic and weak ferromagnetic behaviors. Besides, Cu 1-x Mg x O nanoparticles exhibited significant antibiofilm effects. These results highlight the potential use of Mg-doped CuO nanoparticles as antibiofilm agents.