Synthesis and characterization of SrFeO3-δ nanoparticles as antimicrobial agent

In this work, synthesis and characterization of SrFeO3-delta nanoparticles as antimicrobial agent are presented. Structural characterization of SrFeO3-delta sample shows that it has a cubic (Pm3m) phase with minor tetragonal phase. The morphology of the SrFeO3-delta nanoparticles sample was characterized by a field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM) and high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). Mossbauer spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) results showed that the iron exists in oxidation states Fe3+, Fe3.5+, and Fe4+. The SrFeO3-delta nanoparticles sample exhibits energy band gap (E-g = 1.75 eV) which lies in the Visible region. Thermal and magnetic studies provide an evidence for ferroelectricity and antiferromagnetic with small amount of ferromagnetic in SrFeO3-delta nanoparticles sample, respectively. SrFeO3-delta nanoparticles sample showing powerful activity to fight both of tested Gram-positive, Gram-negative bacteria, and fungi strains. The antimicrobial activity as well as the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) and the minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of the SrFeO3-delta nanoparticles sample have been investigated.