Characterization and antibacterial activity of nanocrystalline Mn doped Fe2O3 thin films grown by successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction method

Successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) method have been successfully employed to grow nanocrystalline Mn doped α-Fe2O3 thin films onto glass substrates. The structural analysis revealed that, the films are nanocrystalline in nature with rhombohedral structure. The optical studies showed that α-Fe2O3 thin film exhibits 3.02 eV band gap energy and it decreases to 2.95 eV as the Mn doping percentage in it was increased from 0 to 8 wt.%. The SILAR grown α-Fe2O3 film exhibits antibacterial character against Staphylococcus aureus bacteria and it increases remarkably with Mn doping.