Preparation of hydrophobic La2Mo2O9 ceramics with antibacterial and antiviral properties.

Abstract

After powder of La2Mo2O9 (LMO) was prepared using complex polymerization, dense sintered bodies (96% relative density) of LMO were obtained from the powder through pressureless sintering in a synthesized air atmosphere. The water contact angle of the LMO ceramics increased gradually during storage in ambient air. It reached 93.6 ± 3.0° in 624 h. Results of XPS analysis and ozone treatment suggest that organic substances in ambient air adsorbed onto the LMO surface during storage. Measurements of antibacterial (Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus) and antiviral (bacteriophage Qβ and bacteriophage Φ6) activities of LMO revealed that their survival rates decreased more than 99.9% within 6 h. Based on results obtained using dissolved ion contact method and from comparison of the antibacterial and antiviral activities with La2O3 and MoO3, one can infer that the synergistic effect of La2O3 and MoO3 plays an important role in the high antibacterial and antiviral activity of LMO.