Efficient Dye Degradation and Antibacterial Activity of Carbon Dots/Chitosan-Doped La(2)O(3) Nanorods: In Silico Molecular Docking Analysis

[Image: see text] This work demonstrates the degradation of toxic RhB (rhodamine B) dye from polluted water in various pH environments. It assesses the antibacterial action of CDs (carbon dots)/CS (chitosan)-doped La(2)O(3) (lanthanum oxide) NRs (nanorods). CS and CDs have been introduced as dopants to modify the characteristics of La(2)O(3) to achieve efficient outcomes. The influence of doping on the structural, morphological, optical, and elemental properties of synthesized La(2)O(3) NRs was investigated through a number of analytical techniques. The structural analysis of XRD revealed a hexagonal phase. The rod-like structure of pure La(2)O(3) and reduction in the size of NRs upon doping were exhibited by TEM micrographs. From UV–vis spectroscopy, increased absorption upon doping and introduction of redshift that led to reduced bandgap energy were observed. The FTIR spectra indicate the presence of functional groups of pure and integrated samples. The catalytic activity of specimens in basic medium toward dye showed excellent results (94.57%). The inhibition zone of diameter 4.15 mm was evaluated by 6 mL of CDs/CS-doped La(2)O(3) NRs against Escherichia coli once the surface area increased by dopants. In silico experiments were performed for enoyl-[acyl-carrier-protein] reductase (FabI) and DNA gyrase enzymes to assess the potency of CS-doped La(2)O(3) and CDs/CS-doped La(2)O(3) as their inhibitors and to justify their possible mechanism of action.