Synthesis and characterization of ZnO/PVA nanocomposites for antibacterial and electrochemical applications

Abstract

The present work reports the application of poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) supported sol-gel-self-propagation route for the synthesis of ZnO-based binary metal oxides nanocomposites (BMONCs). The DRS–UV–Visible spectroscopic method confirmed the less-reflectance properties of PVA-BMONCs compared to ZnO. The crystallinity of PVA-BMONCs was found to be lesser than that of ZnO as confirmed by XRD analysis. The predictable metal-oxygen bond was confirmed by FTIR spectrophotometry. The porous morphology of PVA-BMONCs was characterized by BET technique and SEM microscopy. The TEM-HRTEM microscopic images confirmed the nano-size and actuality of the composites. The synthesized PVA-BMONCs exhibited significant antibacterial action on both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Compared to ZnO, PVA-BMONCs are showed enhanced antibacterial activity. The increased surface area provides superior contact with the surface of bacteria resulting higher zone of inhibition of 24 mm on E. coli bacteria. The CV-EIS techniques have approved the superior electrochemical activity for ZnO/PVA NCs.