Synthesis of Low-Cost Iron Oxide: Chitosan Nanocomposite for Antibacterial Activity

Abstract

α-iron oxide nanoparticles were synthesized by the self-assembly method and characterized. The average particle size was found to be 27–30 nm by XRD and AFM. The α-Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles were dispersed into the prepared chitosan (CH) solution. After the dispersion, the CH-α-Fe₂O₃ nanocomposite was subjected to characterizations such as UV-Visible, FT-IR, XRD, and SEM with EDX. The antibacterial activity was checked for the prepared CH-α-Fe₂O₃ nanocomposite by zone of inhibition method (AATCC 147). The CH-α-Fe₂O₃ nanocomposite showed improved antibacterial activity against gram-positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus) and gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli) when compared to the individual CH and α-Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles.

Keywords:

• Antibacterial
• characterization
• chitosan
• iron oxide nanoparticles