Antimicrobial activity of ZnO/silica gel nanocomposites prepared by a simple and fast solid-state method

The formation of Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles on silica gel (SG) is achieved through a new- one stage solid state method. The only precursor used was ZnCl2. The preparation of nanocomposite is accomplished by heating a mixture of ZnCl2 and silica gel at 450 °C, leading to the formation of ZnO particles on the surface. The structure, morphology, absorption spectrum and homogeneity of the ZnO/Silica gel nanocomposites (ZnO/SG) were characterized. The absorption spectra of the nanocomposites show the change of state from silica gel to ZnO/SG. X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) patterns prove the formation of the ZnO/SG. Micro-EDXRF (energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence) analysis of the composites showed good homogeneity. The antibacterial test of the samples against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus shows the strong antibacterial activity of nanocomposites when confronted by these bacteria.