Characterization and Antimicrobial Activity of Chitosan/ZnO/Ag System

The aim of this research is the preparation of chitosan/Ag/ZnO (CS/Ag/ZnO) system via chemical precipitation method followed by thermal treatment at 125 degrees C for 8 hours. The CS/Ag/ZnO system obtained was characterized by UV-VIS absorption spectroscopy (UV-Vis), X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and photocatalytic characterization. The optimum composition of chitosan/Ag/ZnO system was determined from the photocalytic degradation of methyl orange. The morphological characterization of chitosan/Ag/ZnO system revealed that the surface of the powder synthesized has vermiculite morphology. The system had excellent antimicrobial activities against Escherichia coli and Salmonella. The antimicrobial activities of system CS/Ag/ZnO were higher than those of chitosan. Thus, it can be concluded that ZnO, and Ag improves the antimicrobial activities of chitosan, and CS/Ag/ZnO systems that have been synthesized have potential applications as antibacterial material for food, pharmaceutical and textile industries.