The synthesis of oxalate-modified pyrite/chitosan as antibacterial composite

The combination of organic and inorganic components has produced bioactive materials with excellent properties. Chitosan is a widely used organic component, which has received recognition as biocompatible material. On the other hand, naturally occurred pyrite so far received limited exposure as biomaterial, despite its great antibacterial activity. Hence, the incorporation of pyrite in chitosan matrix is expected to highlight the usage of pyrite as bioactive material, especially in antibacterial response. In this research, chitosan and oxalate-modified pyrite was combined to form beads at wt% pyrite loading of 1%, 3%, and 5%. The EDX analysis could confirm the loading of pyrite in the bead’s matrix. The beads exhibit high water absorption ability, with addition of pyrite could increase the absorption of water up to 37% compared to blank chitosan beads. The immersion of beads in simulated body fluid shows the bioactivity of beads by formation of apatite. Microbial activity against E. coli and S. aureus is exhibited for all composite beads containing oxalate-modified pyrite, especially for beads containing 5 wt% oxalate-pyrite.