Open AccessSynthesis of ZnO/Fe 3 O 4 /rGO nanocomposites and evaluation of antibacterial activities towards E. coli and S. aureus
Author(s) -
Rajan S Arunima,
Khan Ahmaduddin,
Asrar Syed,
Raza Hasan,
Das Raunak Kumar,
Sahu Niroj Kumar
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
iet nanobiotechnology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 1751-875X
DOI - 10.1049/iet-nbt.2018.5330
Subject(s) - wurtzite crystal structure , nanocomposite , zinc , materials science , antibacterial activity , aqueous solution , graphene , composite number , hydrothermal circulation , nanoparticle , oxide , spinel , chemical engineering , nanotechnology , nuclear chemistry , chemistry , composite material , bacteria , organic chemistry , metallurgy , biology , engineering , genetics
Antibacterial activity of nanoparticles (NPs) and nanocomposites (NCs) has received wide spread attention in biomedical applications. In this direction, the authors prepared zinc oxide (ZnO), iron oxide (Fe 3 O 4 ), and their composite including reduced graphene oxide (rGO) by hydrothermal method. The structural and microstructural properties of the synthesised NPs and NCs were investigated by XRD, FT‐IR, UV‐Vis, TGA, and TEM analysis. PEG‐coated ZnO and Fe 3 O 4 form in hexagonal wurtzite and inverse spinel structures, respectively. ZnO forms in rod‐shaped (aspect ratio of ∼3) morphology, whereas well‐dispersed spherical‐shaped morphology of ∼10 nm is observed in Fe 3 O 4 NPs. The ZnO/Fe 3 O 4 composite possesses a homogeneous distribution of above two phases and shows a very good colloidal stability in aqueous solvent. These synthesised particles exhibited varying antibacterial activity against gram‐positive strain Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and gram‐negative strain Escherichia coli (E. coli). The nanocomposite exhibits a better cidal effect on E. coli when compared to S. aureus when treated with 1 mg/ml concentration. Further, the addition of rGO has intensified the anti‐bacterial effect to a much higher extent due to synergistic influence of individual components.