Heliyon (Oct 2024)

Unveiling the power of TiO2 doped ZnO nanomaterial as an effective antimicrobial solution in the leather industry

  • Asma Irshad,
  • Rabbia Jawad,
  • Uzair Ishtiaq,
  • Nicolas Joly,
  • Bochra Bejaoui,
  • Naceur M'Hamdi,
  • Patrick Martin,
  • Firdous Mubashar

Journal volume & issue
Vol. 10, no. 19
p. e38414

Abstract

Read online

The surface protection of leather supplies is a major concern worldwide due to its susceptibility to microbial growth. Different methods are employed to protect leather, their results ends up with the environmental pollution and human safety issues. Nanoparticles with excellent antimicrobial potential can provide sustainable protection to leather accessories. The present work represented a comprehensive investigation into the preparation and characterization of titanium dioxide-doped zinc oxide (ZnO/TiO2 NPs) nanoparticles and their exploring as a potential antimicrobial agent in the leather industry. ZnO nanoparticles were synthesized through Sol-gel method by the reduction of zinc acetate dihydrate via black cardamom seed's extract and subsequently doped with TiO2. The optical, structural, and morphological features of nanoparticles were thoroughly scrutinized through UV–visible spectroscopy, XRD, FT-IR, and SEM-EDAX. The UV–visible spectrum showed enhanced performance between 300 and 350 nm and various peaks of the FT-IR spectrum, i.e. 3315.53, 1566.20, 1402.25, 1340.53, 1014.56, 921.97, 690.52, and 677.01 cm−1, revealed chemical bonds that prove the correct doping of TiO2 in ZnO nanoparticles. The characteristic peaks obtained from XRD at 2Ө of 32°, 35.5°, 37.2°, 47.9°, 55.6° 63.51°, and 70° intimated to the crystal planes of (100), (002), (101), (102), (110), (103), and (112), respectively. SEM-EDAX images revealed the roughly spherical but agglomerated structure of nanoparticles with size 45.44 nm. Furthermore, minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), antimicrobial potential, and anti-biofilm potential analyses of nanoparticles, against all selected microorganisms (Aspergillus niger, Staphylococcus aureus, and Escherichia coli) provided valuable insights into physical and biological properties of the nanoparticles. The clear zones of inhibition (29–30 mm) against these pathogenic strains showed exceptional antimicrobial action of the ZnO/TiO2 NPs. Overall, these results provide an approachable method to synthesize ZnO/TiO2 nanoparticles and their antimicrobial ability will prove to be beneficial for the protection of leather materials from various microbial contaminations.

Keywords