Effect of particle size on the antimicrobial power of zinc oxide micro- and nano- particles in the powder form
Subject Areas : Molecular MicrobiologySusan Sohrabi 1 , Mohammad Kargar 2 , Amin Ramezani 3 , elham moazamian 4 , علیرضا ابراهیمی نژاد 5
1 - Department of Microbiology, College of Sciences, Agriculture and Modern Technology, Shiraz Branch, Islamic Azad University, Shiraz, Iran.
2 - Department of Microbiology, Zand Institute of Higher Education, Shiraz, Iran.
3 - Department of Medical Biotechnology, School of Advanced Medical Sciences and Technologies, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
4 - Department of Microbiology, Shi.C., Islamic Azad University, Shiraz, Iran.
5 - Biotechnology Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
Keywords: Nanopowder, Nanostructures, Zinc Oxide, Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy ,
Abstract :
Background & Objectives: Zinc oxide nanopowder has wide application as an antimicrobial compound in various industries. In previous studies, antimicrobial effect of these particles in colloidal state was investigated. Considering different behavior of particles in powder and colloidal state, this study was conducted with the aim of investigating the effect of zinc oxide particle size on their antimicrobial power in powder state. Material and Methods: This study was conducted in laboratory conditions after the preparation of zinc oxide microparticles and nanoparticles by precipitation method. The appearance, surface and size characteristics of the particles were examined by electron imaging. Elemental analysis of the particles was performed by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The antimicrobial power of the particles powder was examined by agar diffusion method. Results: The synthesized particles had an average size of 1.586±0.415 μm and 142±28 nm. The commercial nanoparticles used also had an average size of 50 nm. Elemental analysis confirmed the presence of zinc and oxygen, which are characteristic of zinc oxide. Zinc oxide microparticles and nanoparticles in powder form did not show a significant difference in antimicrobial potency. Conclusion: The antimicrobial activity of zinc oxide particles in powder form does not follow the laws governing colloids. Therefore, the size of zinc oxide particles does not have a significant effect on the antimicrobial power of these particles in powder form. Therefore, zinc oxide microparticles can be substituted for nanoparticles in commercial formulations.
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