Synthesis and characterization of high purity Ta2O5 nanoparticles by laser ablation and its antibacterial properties

In this paper using pulsed laser ablation method in liquid, the Ta2O5 nanoparticles were synthesized and the experimental results are investigated. For this purpose using pulsed laser ablation of a Ta metal plate, the Ta2O5 nanoparticles were synthesized (with similar to 5-20 nm sizes) in deionized water which the beam of a Q-switched Nd:YAG laser is employed to irradiate the tantalum target in water. Synthesized nanoparticles have been characterized by X-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The optical properties of the nanoparticle solution were examined at room temperature by a UV-Vis absorption spectrophotometer. The results show that the high purity Ta2O5 nanoparticles were found to be orthorhombic crystalline structure with spherical structure by average diameters of about 5-20 nm and band gap of similar to 3.9-4.0 eV. The antibacterial effects of Ta2O5 nanoparticles against Escherichia coli bacteria were also examined that shows an excellent antibacterial performance.