Using mechanical technique for preparing antibacterial offset lithography ink with ZnO nanoparticles

This paper presents a study on antibacterial performance of an offset lithography/ZnO nanocomposite ink prepared using a mechanical mixing technique. The hybrid ink exhibited very good antibacterial activity against Gram-negative Escherichia coli and Gram-positive Bacillus Staphylococcus aureus bacteria. The thermal properties of the pure and nanoparticle loaded ink films were evaluated using TGA and DSC techniques. Moreover, the quality of dispersion of ZnO nanoparticles within the ink matrix was characterized by means of Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR).