Antibacterial activity of zinc oxide nanoparticles against Vibrio harveyi

Antibacterial activity of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles against Vibrio harveyi was studied with different sizes of synthesised (S_70 and S_83) and commercially available (C_50 and C_100) ZnO particles. The synthesised nanoparticles were prepared without (S_70) and with poly vinyl alcohol (PVA) (S_83). The synthesised nanoparticles were characterised by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectra (EDX). In XRD, the sharp intense peaks at 2 theta confirm the crystalline structure of ZnO. Both synthesised and commercially available ZnO nanoparticles were compared with bulk ZnO particles at various concentrations for their antibacterial activity. ZnO nanoparticles showed enhanced antibacterial activity as compared to bulk ZnO and the antibacterial efficiency was indirectly proportional to size and directly proportional to concentration up to 100 ppm. Capping of ZnO nanoparticles with PVA did not show any significant improvement in the antibacterial property.