Issue 22, 2025

Pioneering bactericidal efficacy with nitrogen doping and zinc oxide nanoparticle decoration on carbon nanosheets

Abstract

The escalating prevalence of drug-resistant pathogens poses a significant threat to global health, contributing to elevated mortality rates and inflated healthcare expenses. To combat antibacterial resistance, carbon-based nanocomposites incorporating metal oxides have emerged as a promising solution in the development of advanced antibacterial agents. In this quest, we propose a nascent strategy to synthesize zinc oxide-decorated carbon nanosheets (ZnO@CNSn) via a co-precipitation method. The crystalline ZnO nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) are homogeneously dispersed throughout a framework of melamine-enriched carbon nanosheets (CNSn). The presence of pyrrolic-N and pyridinic-N functionalities in ZnO@CNSn enhances the charge transfer kinetics and creates nucleation sites for uniform dispersion of ZnO-NPs, mitigating particle aggregation. Remarkably, XPS analysis reveals a distinct shift in peak intensity, characterized by a reduction in pyrrolic-N and a corresponding increase in pyridinic-N. This conversion of pyrrolic-N to pyridinic-N due to incorporation of ZnO-NPs onto CNSn plays a crucial role in improving its bactericidal effect. The antibacterial assays against Gram negative Escherichia coli, Gram positive Staphylococcus aureus and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) confirm the bactericidal activity of ZnO@CNSn. Additionally, the SEM micrographs show altered bacterial morphology on interaction with the nanocomposites, further validating the effective bactericidal properties. Moreover, ZnO@CNSn exhibits enhanced cytocompatibility compared to CNSn. These findings underscore the promising potential of the ZnO-decorated CNSn architecture as a robust platform for advanced antibacterial applications.

Graphical abstract: Pioneering bactericidal efficacy with nitrogen doping and zinc oxide nanoparticle decoration on carbon nanosheets

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
08 Mar 2025
Accepted
28 Apr 2025
First published
16 May 2025

J. Mater. Chem. B, 2025,13, 6519-6532

Pioneering bactericidal efficacy with nitrogen doping and zinc oxide nanoparticle decoration on carbon nanosheets

O. Agrawal, B. P. Kaur, R. Chaurasia, H. K. Sharma, G. Jain, M. K. Goswami, S. Chakrabarti and M. Mukherjee, J. Mater. Chem. B, 2025, 13, 6519 DOI: 10.1039/D5TB00516G

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