Preparation and Characterization of Several Polymer/Zinc Oxide Microcomposites with Antibacterial Activity

In this study,w e investigatedt he influenceo f ZnO particleso btainedb y spray pyrolysis and showing submicron dimensions on the structure, morphology, thermal stability, photodegradation stability, mechanical and antibacterial properties of isotactic polypropylene (iPP), polyamide 6 [PA6) and low density polyethylene ILDPE) composites prepared by melt mixing. The resultso f the morphologicala nalysesin dicate that, despite the surface polarity mismatch between polymers and ZnO, the extrusion process and the characteristics of the used particles lead to composites with a fair distribution of particles. The addition of ZnO particles imparts significant improvements on the photodegradation resistance to ultraviolet irradiation, which confirms that ZnO particles act as screens for this type of radiation. The thermal stability is also improved and increases with the content of ZnO. All composites exhibit significant antibacterial activity. This activity is dependent on exposure time and composition. The bacterial slaying capability of these nanocomposites was found better when zinc oxide was dispersed in PA6, where the efficiency is similar to pure ZnOp articles.