Open AccessSize‐dependent antimicrobial response of zinc oxide nanoparticles
Author(s) -
Palanikumar Loganathan,
Ramasamy Sindar,
Balachandran Chandrasekaran
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
iet nanobiotechnology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 1751-875X
DOI - 10.1049/iet-nbt.2012.0008
Subject(s) - zinc , fourier transform infrared spectroscopy , nanoparticle , antimicrobial , staphylococcus epidermidis , transmission electron microscopy , particle size , nuclear chemistry , minimum inhibitory concentration , scanning electron microscope , antibacterial activity , precipitation , materials science , chemistry , nanotechnology , chemical engineering , bacteria , staphylococcus aureus , organic chemistry , composite material , biology , physics , meteorology , genetics , engineering
Antibacterial and antifungal activities of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) were investigated against infectious microorganisms. ZnO NPs were prepared by wet chemical precipitation method varying the pH values. Particle size and morphology of the as‐prepared ZnO powders were characterised by X‐ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and transmission electron microscope. The zone of inhibition by NPs ranged from 0 to 17 mm. The lowest minimum inhibitory concentration value of NPs is 25 µg.ml −1 against Staphylococcus epidermidis . These studies demonstrate that ZnO NPs have wide range of antimicrobial activities towards various microorganisms. The results obtained in the authors’ study indicate that the inhibitory efficacy of ZnO NPs is significantly dependent on its chosen concentration and size. Significant inhibition in antibacterial response was observed for S. epidermidis when compared with control antibiotic.