Facile and rapid in-situ synthesis of chitosan-ZnO nano-hybrids applicable in medical purposes; a novel combination of biomineralization, ultrasound, and bio-safe morphology-conducting agent

Abstract In this study, zinc oxide nanoparticle (ZnO-NPs) and also chitosan‑zinc oxide (CS-ZnO-NPs) nano-hybrid were synthesized by a rapid ultrasound assisted co-precipitation method. The morphology, chemical bonding, crystal structure, UV absorption, toxicity and antibacterial properties of the CS-ZnO-NPs and ZnO-NPs were characterized. The FE-SEM (field emission scanning electron microscopy) micrographs and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis revealed that the used technique led to the preparation of homogeneous, ultra-thin (thickness of 20–30 nm) and highly pure ZnO sheets for the both kinds of nanoparticles. The obtained results also demonstrated a superior performance of CS-ZnO-NPs hybrid rather than ZnO-NPs in terms of antibacterial activity, cell viability and UV absorption. It was deduced that the designed biomineralization technique was a very fast and successful strategy to provide a ZnO hybrid with elevated bacterial growth inhibition and bio-safety. Furthermore, the experimental data of antibacterial analyses were compared with the curves obtained from modified Gompertz model and good accordance was observed.