Synthesis, Characterization, and Antibacterial Activity of Cobalt Carbonate Nanoparticles

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19053109

Abstract

The emergence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria is a significant challenge to contemporary medicine, which prompts the pressing necessity of new antibacterial drugs. The transition metal carbonate nanomaterials have shown great biocidal potential because of their characteristic physicochemical properties. This paper has prepared cobalt carbonate (CoCO₃) nanoparticles through a chemical reduction system at room temperature and tested the structural features and antibacterial abilities of these particles. X-ray diffraction (XRD) was used to verify that it had a pure cubic phase structure with an average size of crystallites of 35.34 nm. The presence of CO and CO₃ functional groups was confirmed by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), whereas Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) confirmed the presence of a porous network with a cubic spinel structure. The CoCO₃ nanoparticles were tested against Staphylococcus haemolyticus and Staphylococcus aureus at concentrations of 5, 10, and 15 µg/mL. The nanoparticles had strong concentration-dependent inhibitory effects. S. haemolyticus was more susceptible with a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 1.79 g/mL, as opposed to S. aureus, which had a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 2.68 g/mL. The results indicate that porous cubic architectures of CoCO₃ nanoparticles have a lot of potential in the future as antibacterial agents to resist resistant staphylococcal infections.