Synthesis and characterization of Zn doped WO3 nanoparticles: photocatalytic, antifungal and antibacterial activities evaluation

In view of enhanced bioactivity and photocatalytic applications, the doped material has gained much attention and present study was focused on the preparation of Zn doped WO3 (Zn-d-WO3) via precipitation method. The prepared Zn-d-WO3 was characterized by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), x-ray diffraction (XRD), Energy-dispersive x-ray (EDX). The effect of Zn concentration was studied on antibacterial, antifungal and photocatalytic activities along with structural and morphological variation. The Zn-d-WO3 was triclinic, spherical and rod shaped and particle size was decreased as the Zn concentration increased. The antimicrobial activity of Zn-d-WO3 was evaluated against a panel of bacterial strains (Escherichia coli, Pasturellamu ltocida, Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus) and fungal strain (Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus flavus, Penicillium notatum). The Zn-d-WO3 showed promising antibacterial activity with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values in the range of 211-387 (mu g ml(-1)), whereas the antifungal activity was less than the standard (Fluconazole), which revealed that the Zn-d-WO3 are highly active against bacterial strains since activity was comparable with standard drug (Rifampicin). The photocatalytic activity (PCA) was evaluated by degrading methylene blue (MB) dye in an aqueous solution and dye degradation of 78% and 92% was achieved in 120 min under visible and UV irradiation, respectively. Results revealed that the Zn-d-WO3 could possibly be used as photocatalyst for the degradation of dyes in wastewater.