Tuning of Photoluminescence and Antibacterial Properties of ZnO Nanoparticles through Sr Doping for Biomedical Applications

Abstract

Sr-doped ZnO nanoparticles have been synthesized using a soft chemical method. The doping ratio of Sr is varied in the range of 0 at.%, 3 at.%, and 5 at.% to 7 at.%. X-ray diffractograms revealed that the samples had hexagonal (wurtzite) structure without a trace of any mixed phase. The average crystallite size of the nanoparticles (NPs) ranged from 39 to 46 nm. The average crystallite size was increased for the initial doping (3 at.%) of Sr ions, and further increase in the doping ratio reduced the particle size due to some distortion produced in the lattice. The surface morphology of the samples and structure of the NPs were investigated using FESEM (Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy) and TEM (Transmission Electron Microscopy) pictures, respectively. EDX (energy-dispersive X-ray) spectroscopy confirmed the presence of strontium (Sr) in the host lattice. Photoluminescence and X-ray diffraction confirmed that the dopant ions replace some of the lattice zinc ions and that Sr2+ and Sr3+ ions coexist in the ZnO lattice. The Sr-doped ZnO exhibited violet and blue luminescence spectra at 408 nm and 492 nm, respectively. ZnO : Sr nanoparticles showed increased antibacterial activity against one gram-positive as well as one gram-negative bacteria.