Abstract

Soft chemical methods were used to create magnesium-doped zinc oxide nanoparticles with the compositional formula MgxZn1?xO (x = 0, 3, 5, and 7 at.%). Studies using X-ray diffraction demonstrated that the wurtzite hexagonal structure was preserved in the synthesized nanoparticles. The XRD pattern showed no peaks other than the zinc oxide peaks, demonstrating that there was no gap between the lines and no secondary phase. The crystallite size is reduced due to the incorporation of Mg2+ ions and discussed in terms of the variation of ionic radius. The samples’ band gaps and ultraviolet absorption spectra were computed in order to examine the effects of doping on optical characteristics. According to the photoluminescence approach, zinc vacancy, oxygen vacancy, and surface flaws caused wide-production to be divided into seven distinct bands. By means of the agar-fine diffusion technique, the antibacterial effects of synthesized zinc oxide nanopowders were evaluated against the microorganisms Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis. When the Mg doping level reached 7at%, it was revealed that the doped ZnO nanopowders' antibacterial efficacy was exceptionally high. Graphical abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.] © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to The Materials Research Society.