Synthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles by homogeneous precipitation method and its application in antifungal activity against Candida albicans

Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) were prepared by a simple homogeneous precipitation method without using any surfactant, chelating or gelating agents. The influence of calcination temperature on the morphology, specific surface area and pore volume of the nanoparticles has also been investigated. The synthesized samples were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction, FT-IR spectroscopy, thermal gravimetric analysis, UV–visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, surface area measurements, field emission scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive X-ray analysis and transmission electron microscopy. The antifungal activity of the ZnO-NPs against Candida albicans was assessed using the disc-diffusion susceptibility tests. It was observed that with the increase in concentration of ZnO-NPs the antifungal activity is enhanced toward pathogenic C. albicans.