Sol–gel preparation and antibacterial properties of Li-doped MgO nanoplates

Li-doped MgO nanoplates were prepared by a sol–gel technique using magnesium nitrate hexahydrate and lithium nitrate as starting materials. The structures and morphologies of the as-obtained products were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The influence of lithium doping on the antibacterial properties of nano-MgO was also investigated by the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) test and bactericidal efficacy against Escherichia coli ( E. coli , ATCC 25922). It can be concluded that an appropriate amount of lithium doping can significantly enhance the antibacterial activity of nano-MgO, which can be attributed to an increase of defect concentration (oxygen vacancy) and basicity of nano-MgO, in favor of the generation and stabilization of active oxygen in MgO solution.