Novel sucrose-assisted mechanochemical synthesis of Baghdadite nanopowder using sucrose as a fuel precursor: Characterization and antibacterial evaluation against Porphyromonas gingivalis and Enterococcus faecalis

Abstract

In this study, Baghdadite (Ca3ZrSi2O9) nanopowder was prepared via a mechanochemical route using sucrose as both a new process control agent and fuel precursor. Mechanical milling was used to produce Baghdadite nanopowder under two conditions: without sucrose and with sucrose. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), transmission electron microscope (TEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Raman spectroscopy, Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) and BET Analysis used to determine crystallite size and structure, morphology, elemental composition, particle size, functional groups, bonds type, particle size and specific surface area, respectivly. The antibacterial properties of sucrosesynthesized Baghdadite nanopowder against Porphyromonas gingivalis (P. gingivalis) and Enterococcus faecalis (E. faecalis) bacteria were investigated. The results showed that sucrose critically influences the microstructural processes, resulting in a 48 reduction in crystallite size from 17.55 to about 9.06 nm and the formation of uniformly distributed particles with an average size of less than 100 nm. The presence of sucrose resulted in the synthesized nanopowder exhibiting a specific surface area of 5.395 m2/g and a mesoporous structure. The synthesized nanopowder in the presence of sucrose demonstrated antibacterial activity, with Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) values of 41 mg/mL for P. gingivalis and 166 mg/mL for E. faecalis within 24 to 48 h. Baghdadite nanoparticles showed a greater inhibitory effect on P. gingivalis than E. faecalis. These findings indicate that the synthesized Baghdadite nanopowder possesses antibacterial potential.