A Comparative Study on the Biopolymer Functionalized Iron Oxide Nanocomposite for Antimicrobial Activity

Abstract Compared with bulk materials, nanoparticles have many outstanding properties, like optical, electronic, catalytic, and magnetic properties. Here the magnetite (Fe 3 O 4 ) nanoparticles and biopolymer functionalized magnetite nanoparticles were synthesized by simple co-precipitation by using an aqueous solution containing ferrous (Fe 2+ ) and ferric (Fe 3+ ) ion salts in an alkaline media with poly (ethylene glycol) (PEG 400) as the surfactant. Both bare and Chitosan-coated iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) were subsequently characterized and evaluated for their antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli KL226. The XRD result indicates the formation of Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles and Chitosan (CS) coated Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) studies confirm the bonding of the Chitosan polymer with Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles. The magnetic properties of the samples were measured by vibration sample magnetometer that confirmed ferromagnetic behaviour of magnetite nanoparticles at room temperature. The antibacterial test showed inhibition against E. coli with significant antagonistic activity.