Influence of ZnO on the structural, optical, ligand field and antibacterial characteristics of sodium borosilicate glasses containing minor Cr2O3 additions

In this work, the structural, optical, ligand field, and antibacterial properties of Cr2O3, ZnO and Na2O borosilicate glasses were studied. A glass system of the compositions 70B(2)O(3)-14.8 SiO2-(15-x)Na2O-0.2Cr(2)O(3)-xZnO, where x = 0, 3, 5 and 7 mol% was prepared via melt-quenching technique. In this study, X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectra were used to check the amorphous state of the prepared glass specimens. Infrared (IR) spectra were used to study the internal structure of the formed units and groups within the glass matrix. Moreover, the optical absorbance spectra were used to study the optical parameters, such as optical band gap and ligand field parameters. Furthermore, the antibacterial activities of the glass samples were investigated against different antibiofilm activities, for example, Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. The optical studies showed that E-g values increased from 3.06 to 3.62 with further ZnO doping. Furthermore, 10Dq 3+ cations and their environments, such as oxygen anions. Further, the decreased values of B refer to the tendency of the bonds of Cr3+ cations and their environments toward the covalent nature. On the other hand, the results showed that the investigated glasses are promising materials owing to high antibacterial activity on a large scale (food covering, wound curing, and surface coatings), especially the glass sample that contains the highest concentrations of ZnO. Furthermore, it demonstrated antioxidant activity using DPPH and H2O2 free radical scavenging activities.

Automated summary

This study investigated the structural, optical, ligand field, and antibacterial properties of Cr2O3, ZnO and Na2O borosilicate glasses. The compositions of the glass system prepared were 70B(2)O(3)-14.8 SiO2-(15-x)Na2O-0.2Cr(2)O(3)-xZnO, with x = 0, 3, 5, and 7 mol%. X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectra confirmed the amorphous state of the glass specimens, while infrared (IR) spectra provided insights into the internal structure of the glass matrix. Optical absorbance spectra were used to determine optical parameters and ligand field parameters. Antibacterial activities were evaluated against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. The results showed that ZnO doping led to an increase in the optical band gap and antibacterial activity.