Popis: |
Altered wound healing is a major challenge faced by both developed and developing nations. Biofilm formation has been identified as one of the causative factors for the progression of chronic wounds. The spread of biofilm is controlled by inhibiting the biofilm formation or disrupting the mature biofilm. Functional nanomaterials/enzymes with antimicrobial effects, such as metal oxides, rare earth metals, and carbon nanoparticles have been investigated to treat biofilm and overcome the drawbacks associated with the antibiotic therapy. Cerium oxide nanoparticles (CNPs) have drawn significant attention as a promising antimicrobial agent owing to their antibacterial, enzyme-mimetic, and crystalline properties but they suffer from poor colloidal stability and dispersity in an aqueous environment and size-dependent function. In this work, we have developed a functionalized silica ceria nanocomposite (FSC), as an antibiotic-free system, to treat biofilms. The FSC possesses a high surface area of mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) combined with the intrinsic antibacterial activity of cerium oxide for biofilm inhibition. The nanocomposite was fabricated using silica and ceria precursors, and it exhibited a high surface area of 436 m |