Synthesis and characterisation of Fe₃O₄/MWCNT/ZnO nanocomposites covered by a soft template as a new antibacterial agent

Abstract

This study successfully developed a new antibacterial agent based on Fe3O4/MWCNT/ZnO nanocomposites prepared using diethylamine as a soft template. The prepared samples were characterised using x-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy, vibrating sample magnetometry, ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, and antibacterial tests by the diffusion method. The results of the data analysis showed that Fe3O4/MWCNT/ZnO nanocomposites were composed of Fe3O4, MWCNT, ZnO with inverse cubic spinel, hexagonal, and hexagonal wurtzite structures, respectively. The nanocomposite particles tended to agglomerate and their size decreased with increasing volume of added diethylamine in the range of ∼23–26 nm. The nanocomposites remain stable even after being stored for more than 3 years. The nanocomposites had superparamagnetic properties with saturation magnetisation values of 24 to 31 emu g−1 and band gap values of 2.96 to 2.99 eV. The diameters of the bacterial inhibition zone of the nanocomposites were 12.57–20.38 mm, 14.25–17.25 mm, and 14.63–16.38 mm against E. coli, S. aureus, and B. subtilis, respectively. Therefore, the combination of Fe3O4, MWCNT, ZnO, and diethylamine with natural base materials such as iron sand has good potential to develop new antibacterial agents.

Facile one-step synthesis of in situ WO3@Gr nanorods as an efficient material for antimicrobial and decoloration applications

“…In order to be considered a feasible option, nanomaterials must exhibit antimicrobial properties, demonstrate the ability to breakdown, coagulate, or precipitate organic substances, and not pose any possible risks to human health or aquatic ecosystems [2][3][4]. The properties and functions of nanomaterials could be further improved by creating hybrid/composite nanomaterials [3,[5][6][7][8][9][10]. The vast number of possible material combinations makes hybrid/composite materials an adaptable platform for numerous applications.…”

“…For wastewater treatment, metal oxide semiconductor-based nanocomposite is one of the most prominent nanocomposites [3]. Metal oxide semiconductors (from now called metal oxides) could be composited with carbon-based materials (graphene, reduced graphene oxide, carbon nanotube), graphitic carbon nitride, metal nanostructures, and/or other metal oxides [5,11]. In these alternatives, compositing with 2D carbon-based materials like graphene (Gr) or graphene oxide (GO) shows a high potential for enhancing photo-electrochemical and photocatalytic activity [12][13][14][15][16].…”

“…In these alternatives, compositing with 2D carbon-based materials like graphene (Gr) or graphene oxide (GO) shows a high potential for enhancing photo-electrochemical and photocatalytic activity [12][13][14][15][16]. To controllably and simply prepare uniform metal oxide-based nanocomposites, wet chemical-based methods like reduced agglomeration [5], precipitation method [9,17], and hydrothermal method [6][7][8]16], etc are the most widely used methods, in which hydrothermal method shows the most prominent potential [6][7][8]16].…”

Exploring the role of Mn2+ in the structure, magnetic properties, and radar absorption performance of MnxFe3−xO4–DEA/MWCNT nanocomposites

“…Diethylamine (DEA) is one of the capping agents serving as a so template for improving the size and shape of NPs to minimize agglomeration, which is also important to boost the absorption ability. 15,16 The performance of Fe 3 O 4 NPs in radar absorption can be improved through compositing and substitution with other materials. Recently, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have gained attention as composite materials with Fe 3 O 4 NPs owing to their a Department of Physics, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Science, State University of Malang, Jl.…”

“…Diethylamine (DEA) is one of the capping agents serving as a soft template for improving the size and shape of NPs to minimize agglomeration, which is also important to boost the absorption ability. 15,16…”