synthesis and characterization of the pp fibers coated by zno nanoparticles: investigation of antibacterial properties

This research is focused on the synthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles by means of the sol-gel conventional method, followed by the formulation of a zinc oxide-polypropylene (zno:pp) masterbatch using a twin-screw extruder. the next step involved the fabrication of antibacterial fibers through electrospinning. the resulting nano powders, masterbatch, and fibers were subjected to a series of characterization techniques, including x-ray diffraction (xrd), field emission scanning electron microscopy (fesem), energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (edxs), and fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (ftir). thermogravimetric analysis (tga) indicated a three-stage weight loss process, and differential scanning calorimetry (dsc) showed a primary endothermic peak centered at about 317°c and a pronounced exothermic peak at approximately 455°c. xrd confirmed the hexagonal wurtzite structure of the zno nanoparticles and the presence of the alpha (α) crystal form in polypropylene. in the ftir spectrum of zno:pp, the absorption bands showing pp and zno were evident. fesem images revealed that the zno and masterbatch samples had a uniform size and shape, predominantly in the nanometer range, with an elongated spherical morphology. the presence of peaks for zn and o elements, indicative of zno, and the c element characteristic of pp, further confirms the fabrication of zno:pp composite. the antibacterial properties of polypropylene fibers containing varying concentrations of zno,including 1.2, 2.4, and 5 wt.%, were tested against escherichia coli (e. coli) and staphylococcus aureus (s. aureus). the results showed that the samples with 1.2 and 2.4 wt% zno reach higher antibacterial activity against e. coli and s. aureus compared to other samples.