Influence of size scale and morphology on antibacterial properties of ZnO powders hydrothemally synthesized using different surface stabilizing agents

Abstract

Metal oxide nanoparticles represent a new class of important materials that are increasingly being developed for use in research and health-related applications. Although the antibacterial activity and efficiency of bulk zinc oxide were investigated in vitro, the knowledge about the antibacterial activity of ZnO nanoparticles remains deficient. In this study, we have synthesized ZnO particles of different sizes and morphologies with the assistance of different types of surface stabilizing agents – polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP), polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and poly (α,γ, l-glutamic acid) (PGA) – through a low-temperature hydrothermal procedure. The characterization of the prepared powders was preformed using X-ray diffraction (XRD) method and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE SEM), as well as Malvern's Mastersizer instrument for particle size distribution. The specific surface area (SSA) of the ZnO powders was measured by standard Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) technique.

The antibacterial behavior of the synthesized ZnO particles was tested against gram-negative and gram-positive bacterial cultures, namely Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), respectively. We compared the results of the antibacterial properties of the synthesized ZnO samples with those of the commercial ZnO powder. According to the obtained results, the highest microbial cell reduction rate was recorded for the synthesized ZnO powder consisting of nanospherical particles. In all of the examined samples, ZnO particles demonstrated a significant bacteriostatic activity.