Synthesis of Fe3O4/α-Fe2O3/ZnO nanocomposite for antibacterial application

Fe3O4 and α-Fe2O3 are potential magnetic materials to be developed in medical fields, especially for antibacterial agents. In order to support their application performance, Fe3O4 and α-Fe2O3 were combined with ZnO nanoparticles via an organic assisted route. The characterizations of Fe3O4/α-Fe2O3/ZnO nanocomposites were done employing FTIR, XRD, and SEM to study their functional groups, crystal structure, morphology, and particle distribution. The data analysis for infrared spectra presented that some peaks detected the presence of Fe3O4, α-Fe2O3, and ZnO at some positions. The phase composition for the Fe3O4, α-Fe2O3, and ZnO was respectively of 90.50%, 5.0%, and 4.5%. The SEM images showed that the Fe3O4/α-Fe2O3/ZnO nanocomposite tended to be constructed in spherical and plate shapes with the particle sizes of 12.25 ± 2.5 nm and 27.5 ± 2.5 nm, respectively. Furthermore, the antibacterial test presented that the Fe3O4/α-Fe2O3/ZnO nanocomposite had reasonable inhibition rate for S. aureus, B. Subtilis, and E coli.