MODIFICATION NANO-SIZE OF ZINC OXIDE (ZnO-NS) WITH POLYETHYLENE GLYCOL AND APPLICATION AS ANTIMICROBIAL

Sol-gel is a simple method used to synthesize nano-size ZnO (ZnO-NS) in many applications. It acts as an antimicrobial agent for Escherichia coli and Aspergillus niger infections. The nano-size and patterned nanorods structure of ZnO enhances anti-microbial properties. This study used Polyethylene Glycol (PEG-6000) polymer compounds with variations in their 3, 5, and 10% compositions as templates for the formation of the nanorods. The morphology of the ZnO-NS produced determined the increase in anti-microbial activity. Furthermore, those generated from 5% PEG composition (ZnO/PEG-5) have the smallest size with the greatest anti-microbial activity on inhibition zones against E. coli and A. niger, each of 8.5-10.5 mm. There are morphological differences in each variable in the homogeneity distribution level of the spherical and rod dimension patterns of ZnO-NS. This is based on characterization with UV-VIS-DRS and Fourier-Transform infrared (FT-IR) for the analysis of Zn-O interactions at wave number 500-550 cm-1. Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy-Dispersive Scanning Electron Microscope (FE-SEM) and Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) was used for dimensional pattern analysis, while X-ray diffraction (XRD) was applied for hexagonal wurtzite ZnO structures following the ICSD-65122 standard.