The Composites of Graphene Oxide with Metal or Semimetal Nanoparticles and Their Effect on Pathogenic Microorganisms

Abstract

The present experiment describes a synthesis process of composites based on graphene oxide, which was tested as a carrier for composites of metal- or metalloid-based nanoparticles (Cu, Zn, Mn, Ag, AgP, Se) and subsequently examined as an antimicrobial agent for some bacterial strains (Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Escherichia coli (E. coli). The composites were first applied at a concentration of 300 µM on all types of model organisms and their effect was observed by spectrophotometric analysis, which showed a decrease in absorbance values in comparison with the control, untreated strain. The most pronounced inhibition (87.4%) of S. aureus growth was observed after the application of graphene oxide composite with selenium nanoparticles compared to control. Moreover, the application of the composite with silver and silver phosphate nanoparticles showed the decrease of 68.8% and 56.8%, respectively. For all the tested composites, the observed antimicrobial effect was found in the range of 26% to 87.4%. Interestingly, the effects of the composites with selenium nanoparticles significantly differed in Gram-positive (G+) and Gram-negative (G−) bacteria. The effects of composites on bacterial cultures of S. aureus and MRSA, the representatives of G+ bacteria, increased with increasing concentrations. On the other hand, the effects of the same composites on G− bacteria E. coli was observed only in the highest applied concentration.

Synthesis, Characterization, and Bactericidal Evaluation of Chitosan/Guanidine Functionalized Graphene Oxide Composites

“…Moreover, GO has a 2D planar structure with a high specific area which can introduce interactions with the polymer matrix. Recent studies have demonstrated that GO is a biocompatible material, and has antibacterial ability with mild cytotoxicity [ 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 ]. The antibacterial activity of graphene and graphene derivatives is found to involve membrane puncture [ 24 ].…”

Synthesis, Properties of Graphene Oxide-Metal Oxide Mixed Nanocomposites and their Applications - Review

“…But the applications of graphene are limited because of the expensive nature of its mass production and the main problem is graphene has the tendency to stack due to vander-Waals interactions between its layers. This problem can be overcome by hybridising Graphene with metal oxide nanoparticles [10,11]. GO is used as a starting material for fabrication grapheme-based field effect transistor (FET).…”

“…These groups disturb the aromatic regions in the basal planes, that is why the layer of graphene oxide consist of both aromatic regions and oxidized aliphatic six-membered rings, which leads to distorted sp3-hybridized geometry and results in the insulating property of Graphene oxide. Normally Graphene oxide is a poor conductor but treatment with heat, light or chemical reduction most of graphene's properties can be restored [8][9][10][11].…”

The Antibacterial Applications of Graphene and Its Derivatives

“…These differences were attributed to the bacterial cell wall, the surface protective effect of the outer membrane, and the ability to respond to the external environment . Membrane stress produced by the sharp edges of GO nanosheets also contributes to the antibacterial and antibiofouling performance of the complexes …”