Nd@TiO₂ Nanocomposite for Photocatalytic Inactivation of Escherichia coli .

In present work, a novel Nd@TiO2 Nanocomposite, synthesized successfully by a facile sol-gel method, reveals significant light-activated antibacterial activity. The X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) show the anatase phase and globular shape of Nd@TiO2. UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy and low temperature N-2 adsorption (BET) indicate Nd-0.02@TiO2 has the narrow band gap (3.0 eV) and a high specific surface area (121.1 m(2).g(-1)). Furthermore, the prepared Nd@TiO2 exhibits unprecedented higher photocatalytic activity than P25 TiO2. In water, Nd@ TiO2 has higher inactivation against Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria under simulated solar light irradiation 70 min than TiO2, and the highest antibacterial efficiency (91.5%) of E. coli was achieved on Nd-0.02@TiO2.