Along with the extensive range of exotic nanoparticle (NPs) applications, investigation of magnetic NPs (MNPs) in vitro has ushered modern antibacterial studies into an increasingly attractive research area. A great number of microorganisms exist in the size scales from nanometre to micrometre regions. The enormous potential of engineered MNPs in therapeutic procedures against various drug-resistant bacteria has declined the menace of fatal bacterial infections. Many biocompatible MNPs have been introduced that possess remarkable impacts on various bacterial strains. Conventional synthesis methods such as co-precipitation or hydrothermal techniques have been widely adopted in the production of MNPs. The MNPs for antibacterial applications are mainly required to be superparamagnetic, recyclable and biocompatible. To implement novel strategies in developing new generation antimicrobial magnetic nanomaterials, it is essential to obtain a comprehensive preview of recent achievements in synthesis, proposed antibacterial mechanisms and characterisation techniques of these nanomaterials. This review highlights notable aspects of antibacterial activity in engineered MNPs and nanocomposites including their particle properties (size, shape and saturation magnetisation), antibacterial mechanisms, synthesis methods, testing methods, surface modifications and minimum inhibitory concentrations.

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The Y 1-x Li x Ba 2 Cu 3 O 7-δ polycrystalline bulk superconductors doped with Li substituting at the Y site at different concentrations (x = 0, 0.01, 0.02, 0.1) were prepared using the citrate-gel method to study the effects of doping on the superconducting temperature and critical current density. The question was whether Li addition characterized by a high Debye frequency would have any positive effects on T c . The optimum citrate-gel and heat treatment conditions were identified as those yielding samples with a maximum grain size on the order of 50 μm (up to the optimum Li doping level, x = 0.01). Li substitution at the Y site was verified by structural, electrical, and magnetic measurements of the produced samples, whereas X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis revealed the formation of a pure phase with no visible impurity phases. Moreover, AC magnetic susceptibility measurements showed no increase in the superconducting transition temperature T c , consistent with the predicted results obtained by machine learning method, although it was theoretically expected to increase owing to the high Debye frequency of Li. This observation is consistent with magnetic coupling models for pairing mechanism in cuprates. Finally, because of the optimum conditions of the preparation procedure, nearly identical values of the critical current density (J c ) were recorded for samples with different Li doping levels (up to the optimum Li doping level). It was found that improved compound preparation conditions would have a critical and extensive effect on J c enhancement, with nearly no T c suppression.