Dual functional samarium-chitosan doped CdTe nanoparticles: Dye degradation and bacterial inhibition targeting DHFR and DNA gyrase

The present study demonstrates co-precipitation route of CdTe doped with a fixed quantity of chitosan (CS) and different concentrations 2 and 3 wt.% of samarium (Sm). The synthesized samples were analyzed via various characterizations to assess elemental analysis, d-spacing, phase structure, existence of functional groups, optical properties, and surface topography. The XRD pattern revealed a decrease in crystallite size upon incorporation of CS and Sm. The optical absorption spectra showed increase in absorption with red shift, hence bandgap energy was reduced, HRTEM micrographs revealed d-spacing of nanoparticles decreased with increasing dopant concentration. Our study demonstrated that effective degradation of 3 mL Eriochrome Black T was enhanced by 3 wt.% Sm/CS-doped CdTe in basic medium (98.44±3.74)%. Based on molecular docking, a probable constraining mechanism of Sm/CS doped-CdTe on the dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) and DNA gyrase enzyme of Staphylococcus aureus was assessed. The agar well diffusion method determined the maximum inhibition zone as 16.85±0.06. The current study focuses on improving the antimicrobial and photocatalytic activity of Sm/CS-doped CdTe for wastewater remediation.