PVA assisted ZnO based mesoporous ternary metal oxides nanomaterials: synthesis, optimization, and evaluation of antibacterial activity

Abstract

The poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) assisted highly mesoporous Zn-Fe-Mn oxides nanomaterials were synthesized using the sol-gel followed by the self-propagation techniques. The UV–vis spectroscopic technique was used to study the optical properties of the materials. The presence of metal-oxygen bond and deposited OH ^− /H _2 O species were characterized by FT-IR spectroscopic technique. The porous morphology and elemental analysis were confirmed by the SEM/EDX and further morphological and crystal structure studies were conducted using TEM/HRTEM techniques. The semi-crystallinity and composition analyses were verified from XRD patterns. Using the BET N _2 adsorption-desorption analytical techniques; the porosity, specific surface area, and pore diameter enhancements were confirmed. The optima of PVA and precursors percentage were selected with the help of XRD, UV–Vis, and SEM techniques. The potential of the materials towards antibacterial activities was evaluated against both Gram-negative Escherichia coli and Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus bacteria. The 50(0.7) PVA assisted ternary metal oxide nanocomposite (PVA-TMONC) with 125 μ g ml ^−1 concentration showed better inhibition zone for both Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus bacteria, with a value of 28 and 29 mm in diameter, respectively.

Keywords

• porous
• antibacterial activity
• ternary metal oxides
• poly (vinyl alcohol)
• analytical techniques