Antibacterial activity of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) has received significant interest worldwide particularly by the implementation of nanotechnology to synthesize particles in the nanometer region. Many microorganisms exist in the range from hundreds of nanometers to tens of micrometers. ZnO-NPs exhibit attractive antibacterial properties due to increased specific surface area as the reduced particle size leading to enhanced particle surface reactivity. ZnO is a bio-safe material that possesses photo-oxidizing and photocatalysis impacts on chemical and biological species. This review covered ZnO-NPs antibacterial activity including testing methods, impact of UV illumination, ZnO particle properties (size, concentration, morphology, and defects), particle surface modification, and minimum inhibitory concentration. Particular emphasize was given to bactericidal and bacteriostatic mechanisms with focus on generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) including hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), OH− (hydroxyl radicals), and O2 −2 (peroxide). ROS has been a major factor for several mechanisms including cell wall damage due to ZnO-localized interaction, enhanced membrane permeability, internalization of NPs due to loss of proton motive force and uptake of toxic dissolved zinc ions. These have led to mitochondria weakness, intracellular outflow, and release in gene expression of oxidative stress which caused eventual cell growth inhibition and cell death. In some cases, enhanced antibacterial activity can be attributed to surface defects on ZnO abrasive surface texture. One functional application of the ZnO antibacterial bioactivity was discussed in food packaging industry where ZnO-NPs are used as an antibacterial agent toward foodborne diseases. Proper incorporation of ZnO-NPs into packaging materials can cause interaction with foodborne pathogens, thereby releasing NPs onto food surface where they come in contact with bad bacteria and cause the bacterial death and/or inhibition.

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Abstract. This paper addresses the utilisation of fused deposition modelling (FDM) technology using polyamide 12, incorporated with bioceramic fillers (i.e. zirconia and hydroxyapatite) as a candidate for biomedical applications. The entire production process of printed PA12 is described, starting with compounding, filament wire fabrication and finally, FDM printing. The potential to process PA12 using this technique and mechanical, thermal and morphological properties were also examined. Commonly, a reduction of mechanical properties of printed parts would occur in comparison with injection moulded parts despite using the same material. Therefore, the mechanical properties of the samples prepared by injection moulding were also measured and applied as a benchmark to examine the effect of different processing methods. The results indicated that the addition of fillers improved or maintained the strength and stiffness of neat PA12, at the expense of reduced toughness and flexibility. Melting behaviours of PA12 were virtually insensitive to the processing techniques and were dependent on additional fillers and the cooling rate. Incorporation of fillers slightly lowered the melting temperature, however improved the thermal stability. In summary, PA12 composites were found to perform well with FDM technique and enabling the production of medical implants with acceptable mechanical performances for non-load bearing applications.

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