IN VITRO ANTIBACTERIAL ACTIVITY OF ZnO NANOPARTICLES PREPARED USING SODIUM DODECYL SULFATE AS STABILIZING AGENT

D. THOMAS*,**#, S. AUGUSTINE**, J. ABRAHAM*,***, D.T . THOMAS***, J. PRAKASH****

*Research and Development and Development Centre, Bharathiar University, Coimbatore, 641046, India,  Tel : +91 8547994932, Fax: + 91-4822-216313
**Department of Physics, “St. Thomas” College, Pala, Kottayam, 686574, India
***Department of Botany, “St. Thomas” College, Pala, Kottayam, 686574, India
****Department of Chemistry, “St. Thomas” College, Pala, Kottayam, 686574, India

ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized by cost effective reverse micelle method by using sodium dodecyl sulfate as stabilizing agent. The particles having different size in the range 40 to100 nanometer were prepared by varying the calcination temperature. The prepared particles were characterized by scanning electron microscopy Transmission electron microscopy. The antibacterial activities of ZnO nanoparticles were tested against gram positive strains, like Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus haemolyticus and Bacillus cereus and gram negative species and gram negative ones (Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Proteus vulgaris, Salmonella typhi, Vibrio cholerae, Serratia marcescens, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Enterobacter aerogenes) using disc diffusion method. All samples showed antibacterial activity to at least 9 of the tested organisms. The present study reveals the effectiveness of ZnO nanoparticles as antibacterial agent both against gram positive and gram negative bacteria. It is found that the activity increases with decrease in particle size.

Corresponding author’s e-mail: deepuskariankal@gmail.com

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