In Vitro Antibacterial Activity Evaluation and Mechanism of Morphology-Controlled Synthesis of Cerium Dioxide Nanoparticles

Gao, Ziting; Liu, Mi; Wang, Zhen; Zhang, Meina; Shen, Genli; Gong, Yan; Zheng, Kaijie; Yang, Min; Wang, Qi

doi:10.3390/ijms262110587

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In Vitro Antibacterial Activity Evaluation and Mechanism of Morphology-Controlled Synthesis of Cerium Dioxide Nanoparticles

by

Ziting Gao

^1,2,†,

Mi Liu

^2,†,

Zhen Wang

²,

Meina Zhang

²,

Genli Shen

²,

Yan Gong

²,

Kaijie Zheng

^1,2,

Min Yang

^1,* and

Qi Wang

^2,*

¹

School of Chemistry and Biological Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, China

²

National Center for Nanoscience and Technology, Beijing 100190, China

^*

Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.

^†

These authors contributed equally to this work.

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2025, 26(21), 10587; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms262110587

Submission received: 30 September 2025 / Revised: 18 October 2025 / Accepted: 26 October 2025 / Published: 30 October 2025

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Antimicrobial Materials: Molecular Developments and Applications)

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Abstract

Cerium dioxide (CeO₂) nanoparticles with distinct morphologies, including rods, cubes, and octahedrons, were synthesized via a straightforward hydrothermal method. The microstructure and morphology of the as-prepared samples were systematically characterized. The antibacterial activity of the samples against Escherichia coli was evaluated using the plate counting method. The antibacterial experiments revealed that the antibacterial properties of the samples were arranged in the following order: rod > cube > octahedron. Data analysis indicated that the superior antibacterial performance of the CeO₂ nanorod was attributed to the higher concentration of oxygen vacancies and adsorption of reactive oxygen species (ROS) on the surface, with ROS playing a critical role in the antibacterial mechanism of CeO₂. Additionally, density functional theory (DFT) calculations were employed to simulate the oxygen vacancy environments of CeO₂ with different morphologies and provided indirect insights into ROS behavior. Combining experimental and computational results, a mechanistic framework was proposed to elucidate the dependence relationship between morphology and antibacterial activity of CeO₂.

Keywords: CeO₂; morphology; oxygen vacancy; reactive oxygen species (ROS); antibacterial activity

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MDPI and ACS Style

Gao, Z.; Liu, M.; Wang, Z.; Zhang, M.; Shen, G.; Gong, Y.; Zheng, K.; Yang, M.; Wang, Q. In Vitro Antibacterial Activity Evaluation and Mechanism of Morphology-Controlled Synthesis of Cerium Dioxide Nanoparticles. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2025, 26, 10587. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms262110587

AMA Style

Gao Z, Liu M, Wang Z, Zhang M, Shen G, Gong Y, Zheng K, Yang M, Wang Q. In Vitro Antibacterial Activity Evaluation and Mechanism of Morphology-Controlled Synthesis of Cerium Dioxide Nanoparticles. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2025; 26(21):10587. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms262110587

Chicago/Turabian Style

Gao, Ziting, Mi Liu, Zhen Wang, Meina Zhang, Genli Shen, Yan Gong, Kaijie Zheng, Min Yang, and Qi Wang. 2025. "In Vitro Antibacterial Activity Evaluation and Mechanism of Morphology-Controlled Synthesis of Cerium Dioxide Nanoparticles" International Journal of Molecular Sciences 26, no. 21: 10587. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms262110587

APA Style

Gao, Z., Liu, M., Wang, Z., Zhang, M., Shen, G., Gong, Y., Zheng, K., Yang, M., & Wang, Q. (2025). In Vitro Antibacterial Activity Evaluation and Mechanism of Morphology-Controlled Synthesis of Cerium Dioxide Nanoparticles. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 26(21), 10587. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms262110587

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In Vitro Antibacterial Activity Evaluation and Mechanism of Morphology-Controlled Synthesis of Cerium Dioxide Nanoparticles

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