Abstract

A Facile Microwave-Assisted Synthesis of Sodium Alginate-Coated ZnO and CuO Nanoparticles and their Antimicrobial Effects

Author(s): SM Sathiya*, B Prakash, MA Jothi Rajan, Gunadhor S Okram

A facile, green, microwave-assisted co-precipitation technique was used for synthesizing Zinc Oxide (ZnO) and Copper Oxide (CuO) Nanoparticles (NPs) in the presence of a bio-polymer Sodium Alginate (SA) as stabilizer and reducer and the mechanism of the formation of NPs was examined. The analysis of the results showed that there is a strong interaction between the hydroxyl and carboxyl groups of SA with the nanostructured metal oxides. These NPs showed considerable antibacterial activities in both Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Bacillus subtilis. Strong affinity toward hydroxyl and negatively charged carboxyl groups in SA of the NPs with the cell walls of bacterial strains leads to reduction in the bacterial survival significantly. When compared to Gram-positive, both the NPs had better activity against Gram-negative bacterial cultures. The CuO NPs showed maximum zone of inhibition than ZnO NPs due to its intrinsic microbicidal properties.