Optical, bactericidal and water repellent properties of electrospun nano-composite membranes of cellulose acetate and ZnO

• Published in: Carbohydrate polymers 2013-09, Vol.97 (2), p.856-863
• Main Authors: Anitha, S., Brabu, B., John Thiruvadigal, D., Gopalakrishnan, C., Natarajan, T.S.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Anti-Bacterial Agents - pharmacology; antibacterial properties; Applied sciences; Bacteria; Bacteria - drug effects; Bactericidal; Cellulose - analogs & derivatives; Cellulose - chemistry; cellulose acetate; Composites; contact angle; Defects; Exact sciences and technology; Exchange resins and membranes; Fibers; Forms of application and semi-finished materials; Hydrophobic; hydrophobicity; Luminescence; Membranes, Artificial; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Nanocomposites; Nanocomposites - chemistry; Nanocomposites - ultrastructure; Nanoparticles; Optical Phenomena; Polymer industry, paints, wood; polymers; scanning electron microscopes; scanning electron microscopy; Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared; Technology of polymers; Water - chemistry; wettability; Wettability - drug effects; X-Ray Diffraction; zinc oxide; Zinc Oxide - chemistry
• ISSN: 0144-8617; 1879-1344
• DOI: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2013.05.003

In this report, ZnO nanoparticles embedded cellulose acetate (CA) fibrous membrane with multifunctional properties have been prepared through electrospinning method. The morphology of the electrospun composite membrane was analyzed by scanning electron microscope (SEM). It was found that the polymer concentration in the solution has a significant effect on the morphology of the fibers. The optical property of the sample was tested using photo luminescence (PL) spectra. There is no significant change in the emission features of cellulose acetate with the addition of ZnO. The anti-bacterial property of the sample was studied using disk diffusion method. The wettability of the pure and composite fibrous membrane was also studied by measuring the contact angle of water on the membrane. It was observed that the embedded ZnO in the CA was responsible for the hydrophobic nature of the surface.