Preparation, Properties, and Microbial Impact of Tungsten (VI) Oxide and Zinc (II) Oxide Nanoparticles Enriched Polyethylene Sebacate Nanocomposites

Amr S Ismail,Salah M Tawfik,Yong-Ill Lee,Amr H Mady

doi:10.3390/polym13050718

Amr S Ismail, Salah M Tawfik + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13050718

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Abstract

Nanoparticles of tungsten oxide (WO3) and zinc oxide (ZnO) enriched polyethylene sebacate (PES) nanocomposites were prepared through the coprecipitation process and condensation polymerization reaction. The obtained nano-sized particles of WO3 and ZnO, PES, and nanocomposites (WO3-PES NC and ZnO-PES NC) were investigated. The average molecular weight of the cured PES was measured by employing the gel permeation chromatography (GPC) technique. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectra assured the formation of the polymeric nanocomposites.WO3 and ZnO nanoparticles supposed a condensed porous spherical phase found implanted in the polymer structure, as detected by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) methods. These nano-scale systems achieved an electrical activity based on the conductive nanoparticles embedded matrix as a result of the ion–ion interactions. The microbial influence of the nanocomposites was examined against pathogenic bacteria; Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Bacillus subtilis, and Fungi; Aspergillus niger, and Candida albicans. Results exhibited that these nanocomposites have antimicrobial effects from moderate to slightly high on bacteria and high on fungi which was confirmed by a clear zone of inhibition. This study contributes to the design of reasonable composites to be under evaluation for their catalytic effect.

Highlights

On the ever-accelerating progress of technology towards sustainable development, there are considerable research outputs in respect of the fabrication of eco-amiable nanosized material systems with formidable characteristics [1]
Soft composites based on linear aliphatic polyester (PE) are successfully employed to modify the polymer structure with new categories of strengthening components owing to their characteristics [11,12,13,14,15]
The current study presents the preparation of WO3 and zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles dispersed polyethylene sebacate (PES) nanocomposites through the precipitation process and esterification reaction

Summary

Introduction

On the ever-accelerating progress of technology towards sustainable development, there are considerable research outputs in respect of the fabrication of eco-amiable nanosized material systems with formidable characteristics [1]. Recent advances and upcoming technologies are mainly focused on the overall coverage of the principles and methods concerning productions, properties, and implementations of nanomaterials [2,3] By their distinguished properties, polymer-metal oxide composites have been widely investigated in recent years [4,5,6,7,8]. The present research work endeavored to fabricate a polyester matrix composite of polyethylene sebacate enriched with nanocrystalline oxides of tungsten and zinc. These nano-oxides donate free electrons to the polymer matrix based on the difference in oxidation state. Ferrous ammonium sulfate hexahydrate, zinc chloride hexahydrate, and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide were obtained from ADWIC (Qalyubia, Egypt), Sigma-Aldrich (Saint Louis, MO, USA) and Merck (Kenilworth, NJ, USA)

Nano-Oxides Fabrication

Nanocomposite Fabrication

Conclusions