Synthesis of Cu-doped 2D-WS₂ nanosheet-based nano-antibiotic materials for inhibiting E. Coli and S. aureus bacterial strains

The emergence of bacterial resistance is increasing continuously due to the misuse of antibiotics that results in difficulty controlling the bacterial infection or the lack of treatment. Therefore, a new class of antibiotic or nano-antibiotic materials must be developed to treat bacterial infectious diseases. In this context, the present study focuses on synthesizing Cu-metal incorporated WS₂ nanosheet (Cu-WS₂-NS)-based antibiotic materials. The Cu-WS₂-NS was synthesized via a liquid exfoliation process, followed by the incorporation of Cu-metal using a microwave process. The as-prepared WS₂-NS and Cu-WS₂-NS based antibiotics were characterized via SEM, EDS, and FT-IR analysis. The as-prepared WS₂-NS and Cu-WS₂-NS based antibiotic materials showed high biocompatibility or insignificant toxicity (∼0.78% and 3.7%) against erythrocyte cells, respectively. The as-prepared WS₂-NS and Cu-WS₂-NS based antibiotic materials effectively inhibited or killed (99.99%) both E. Coli and S. aureus bacterial strains. The antibacterial activity of the Cu-WS₂-NS based antibiotic materials was mainly due to the Cu metal that binds with the sulfide group of WS₂-NS. Interestingly, the Cu-WS₂-NS-based antibiotic materials showed superior or comparable antibiotic ability to that of commercially available Ampicillin antibiotics. Therefore, the as-prepared Cu-WS₂-NS based antibiotic materials might be potential emerging materials to treat infectious diseases or control bacterial infections.