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. X-ray diffraction (XRD) was used to examine the crystalline structure, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) was employed to scrutinize the morphology of the samples, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) was adopted for elemental analysis, and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) was hired to identify the chemical bonds. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) indicated a three-stage weight loss process, and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) showed a primary endothermic peak centered at about ۳۱۷ °C and a pronounced exothermic peak at approximately ۴۵۵ °C. XRD confirmed the hexagonal wurtzite structure of the zinc oxide nanoparticles and the presence of the alpha (α) crystal form in polypropylene. FESEM imaging revealed that the zinc oxide and masterbatch samples had a uniform size and shape, predominantly in the nanometer range with an elongated spherical morphology. The antibacterial properties of polypropylene fibers containing varying concentrations of zinc oxide, including ۱.۲, ۲.۴, and ۵ wt.%, were tested against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus.

کلیدواژه ها:

zinc oxide nanoparticles ، masterbatch ، twin-screw extruder