Preparation, Characterization, and Antibacterial Activity of Various Polymerylated Divalent Metal-Doped MFO (M = Ni, Co, Zn) Ferrites.

The continuous discovery of novel effective antibacterial agents using nano-based materials is of high significance. In this study, we utilized Polymerylated divalent-metal-doped ferrite nanoparticles (PMFeO NPs) and studied their antibacterial inhibition effects. Different panels of PVP- and PEG-coated metal-doped MFeO (M ≅ Co, Ni, and Zn) were prepared via the (KHB) methodology and thoroughly analyzed using TEM, XRD, FTIR, and VSM. The as-synthesized doped ferrites displayed stable quasi-spherical particles (7-15 nm in size), well-ordered crystalline cubic spinel phases, and high-saturation magnetizations reaching up to 68 emu/g. The antibacterial efficacy of the doped ferrites was then assessed against a Gram-negative bacterial strain. The results demonstrated that both metal doping and polymer functionalization influence the antimicrobial efficacies and performance of the ferrite NPs. The presence of the PVP polymer along with the divalent metal ions, particularly Co and Ni, resulted in the highest antibacterial inhibition and effective inactivation of the bacterial cells. The antibacterial performance was as follows: PVP-CoFeO > PVP-NiFeO > PVP-ZnFeO. Lastly, cell viability assays conducted on human breast fibroblast (HBF) cells confirmed the good safety profiles of the doped ferrites. These interesting results demonstrate the distinctive inhibitory features of the biocompatible metal-doped ferrites in enhancing bacterial killing and highlights their promising potential as effective antimicrobial agents, with possible applications in areas such as water disinfection, biomedical devices, and antimicrobial coatings.