Electrospun nanotextured Ln@TiO2 fibers for effective pathogen eradication: a comparative and mechanistic microbiological approach.

The escalating projected demand to battle antibiotic resistant bacteria and Candida infestation guarantee public safety has led focus on development of advanced antimicrobial nanomaterials. Owing to their special qualities and prospectives in a variety of fields, doped titania nanotextured fibers especially those implanted with rare earth elements like cerium, lanthanum, and neodymium have attracted a lot of attention. In current research rare earth (Ln = La, Ce and Nd) doped titania nanofibers have been formulated using facile sol-gel electrospinning, illustrated by XRD, SEM, EDX and TEM. Antibacterial action of doped nanofibers was appraised against representative organism Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans. XRD assessment established that pristine and doped TiO2 nanofibers possess anatase and rutile phase at 700 °C. It also confirmed that Ln doped TiO2 probably supports phase alteration. The diameter range of all doped nanofibers spans between 200 and 700 nm. Conclusively, current study demonstrated that Ln@TiO2 nanofibers possess better antimicrobial activity than pristine TiO2. The order of antimicrobial activity was observed as Ce@TiO2 > Nd@TiO2 > La@TiO2 > TiO2. The Ce@TiO2 nanofibers demonstrated highest activity among tested Ln@ TiO2 nanofibers. The mechanism of action is likely interceded by inducing oxidative stress that targets components of bacterium and C. albicans.