Synthesis, characterization, and antimicrobial activity of chitosan–zinc oxide/polyaniline composites

Organic–inorganic materials of chitosan–zinc oxide/polyaniline (CS–ZnO/PANI) composite were prepared via precipitation with a polymerization method and characterized by FT-IR, XRD, EDXS and TEM analysis, thereby providing evidence of composite formation. The size of the prepared CS–ZnO/PANI composite was found to be 100–200 nm, thereby rendering the morphology suitable for biomedical applications. Antibacterial activities of chitosan–ZnO (CS–ZnO), polyaniline (PANI) and CS–ZnO/PANI composites were determined against Gram-positive bacterium, Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), and Gram-negative bacterium, Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) and were tested in-vitro at 5–50 μg/mL. Results showed that CS–ZnO/PANI composite had broad-spectrum antibacterial activity that was greatly enhanced in comparison with CS–ZnO. In addition, CS–ZnO/PANI composite has tested fungal strains of Candida albicans (C. albicans) and relatively higher activities were observed than the known antibiotics. Finally, the antimicrobial activity of CS–ZnO/PANI composite against established biofilms was also examined and resulted in more than 95% inhibition in biofilm formation.