ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Nanotechnol.
Sec. Nanomaterials
Volume 7 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fnano.2025.1674700
Synthesis and Characterization of ZnO@CTAB-SA Polymer Nanocomposites with Biological and Photocatalytic Activity
Provisionally accepted
- 1Mahatma Gandhi University, Nalgonda, India
- 2Isosphere Biosciences Pvt Ltd, Secundrabad, India
- 3Institut Jozef Stefan, Ljubljana, Slovenia
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This study explores the synthesis and characterization of ZnO-based polymer nanocomposites (ZnO@CTAB-SA) employing sodium alginate (SA) and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) as matrices. The composites were synthesized using an in-situ polymerization method, integrating different amounts of ZnO nanoparticles. The materials exhibited substantial antibacterial effectiveness against Staphylococcus aureus (Gram-positive) and Escherichia coli (Gram-negative), in addition to antifungal activity against Aspergillus niger. Characterization methods including FTIR, PXRD, SEM, and EDAX validated the structural integrity and efficient dispersion of ZnO nanoparticles within the polymer matrix. Furthermore, the composites demonstrated improved photocatalytic degradation of commercial dyes, such as Rhodamine B and Alizarin Red S, facilitated by adsorption and surface contacts. These results exhibit ZnO@CTAB-SA nanocomposites as a promising multifunctional material for biomedical antibacterial approaches.
Keywords: Zinc oxide polymer nanocomposites, sodium alginate (SA) cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB), Antimicrobial activity, Antifungal activity, and Dye adsorption
Received: 28 Jul 2025; Accepted: 26 Sep 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Pamula, Yarasani, Tentu and Ganji. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Parameswaram Ganji, parameswaram.ganji@ijs.si
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