Facile Hydrothermal Synthesis of BiVO(4)/MWCNTs Nanocomposites and Their Influences on the Biofilm Formation of Multidrug Resistance Streptococcus mutans and Proteus mirabilis

[Image: see text] This study utilized a simple hydrothermal technique to prepare pure BiVO(4) and tightly bound BiVO(4)/multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) nanocomposite materials. The surfactant was employed to control the growth, size, and assembly of BiVO(4) and the nanocomposite. Various techniques including X-ray diffraction (XRD), Ultraviolet–visible (UV–vis), photoluminescence (PL), Raman, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) were utilized to analyze and characterize BiVO(4) and the BiVO(4)/MWCNTs nanocomposite. Through XRD analysis, it was found that the carbon nanotubes were effectively embedded within the lattice of BiVO(4) without generating any separate impurity phase and had no influence on the BiVO(4) monoclinic structure. TEM images confirmed the presence of MWCNTs within BiVO(4). Furthermore, adding MWCNTs in the BiVO(4)/MWCNTs nanocomposite resulted in an effective charge transfer transition and improved carrier separation, as evidenced by PL analysis. The introduction of MWCNTs also led to a significant reduction in the optical band gap due to quantum effects. Finally, the antibacterial activity of pure BiVO(4) and the BiVO(4)/MWCNTs nanocomposite was assessed by exposing Proteus mirabilis and Streptococcus mutans to these materials. Biofilm inhibition and antibiofilm activity were measured using a crystal violet assay and a FilmTracer LIVE/DEAD Biofilm Viability Kit. The results demonstrated that pure BiVO(4) and BiVO(4)/MWCNTs effectively inhibited biofilm formation. In conclusion, both pure BiVO(4) and BiVO(4)/MWCNTs are promising materials for inhibiting the bacterial biofilm during bacterial infections.