Co-doping TiO2 with boron and/or yttrium elements: Effects on antimicrobial activity

• B-Y/TiO2 nano materials firstly applied to the fields of antibacterial materials.
• Systems analysis the existence state of boron and yttrium ion in TiO2.
• Doping B and Y greatly strengthened the antibacterial activity of TiO2.

Pure TiO2, boron and/or yttrium doped TiO2 nano-materials were synthesized by a sol–gel method and characterized by XRD, SEM, XPS and PL. XRD analysis indicates that, in the pure TiO2 and B single doped TiO2 (B-TiO2) nano-materials calcinated at 700 °C, the presence of TiO2 is a mixture of anatase and rutile; in the Y single doped (Y-TiO2), B and Y co-doped TiO2 nano-materials (B/Y-TiO2), the presence of TiO2 is anatase. SEM image shows the prepared materials have a common round morphology and hexagonal plate morphology caused by the agglomeration of particles. Boron atoms are partially embedded into the TiO2 interstitial structure or incorporated into the TiO2 lattice through occupying the position of the oxygen atoms. The results of antimicrobial experiment show that B/Y-TiO2 material has a remarkable antimicrobial activity. Compared with the visible light irradiation, antimicrobial activity of B/Y-TiO2 in dark is significant poor.

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