Centrifugally spun PVP/ZnO composite fibers with different surfactants and their use as antibacterial agents

Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) fibers embedded with Zinc Oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) were prepared by the centrifugal spinning of aqueous PVP solutions and ZnO NPs. The ZnO NPs were synthesized and coated with either cetyltrimethylammonium bromide or hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide. The structure and morphology of the nanocomposite fibers were studied using scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy and Thermogravimetric analysis. The effect of surfactant coating on the antibacterial activity of ZnO NPs and PVP/ZnO nanocomposite fibers against Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Bacillus megaterium (B. megaterium) bacteria was systematically investigated. The present study indicated that coating the ZnO NPs with surfactants resulted in large and uniform inhibition of bacterial growth.