Efficient antibacterial activity enhancement in Fe/Mn co-doped CuS nanoflowers and nanosponges

In this study, the hydrothermal route has been used to synthesize novel Fe/Mn co-doped CuS nanoflowers with the high-surface-area with different Fe concentrations (1, 3 and 5%) and constant concentration values of Mn. The nanoparticles were analysed through X-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, Fourier transform infra-red spectrophotometer, zeta potential and optical absorption spectroscopy. X-ray diffraction indicates that the covellite CuS has a hexagonal structure. The morphology of the synthesized nanoparticles is primarily a sphere-like flower. A UV–visible spectrophotometer was used to measure the absorbance spectra. The energy gap showed an irregular change with an increased amount of Fe doped in CuS. Furthermore, the antibacterial activity showed that the inhibition zone of Fe/Mn co-doped CuS was 20–25 mm for E. coli, 24–27 mm for S. aureus and 31–41 mm for P. aeruginosa at a high concentration of Fe dopant.