ZnO nanorod-chitosan composite coatings with enhanced antifouling properties

Mohammed A Al-Belushi; Myo Tay Zar Myint; Htet Htet Kyaw; Laila Al-Naamani; Rahma Al-Mamari; Mohammed Al-Abri; Sergey Dobretsov

doi:10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2020.08.096

ZnO nanorod-chitosan composite coatings with enhanced antifouling properties

Int J Biol Macromol. 2020 Nov 1:162:1743-1751. doi: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2020.08.096. Epub 2020 Aug 13.

Authors

Mohammed A Al-Belushi¹, Myo Tay Zar Myint², Htet Htet Kyaw³, Laila Al-Naamani⁴, Rahma Al-Mamari⁵, Mohammed Al-Abri⁶, Sergey Dobretsov⁷

Affiliations

¹ Department of Marine Science and Fisheries, College of Agriculture and Marine Sciences, Sultan Qaboos University, P.O. Box 34, Al Khoud, 123, Oman; Ministry of Regional Municipalities and Water Resources, Central Laboratory for Food Safety and Quality, PO Box 3094, Airport Central Post, 111 Muscat, Oman.
² Department of Physics, College of Science, Sultan Qaboos University, P.O. Box 36, Al Khoud, 123 Muscat, Oman.
³ Nanotechnology Research Center, Sultan Qaboos University, PO Box 17, Al-Khoudh, 123, Oman.
⁴ Ministry of Regional Municipalities and Water Resources, Central Laboratory for Food Safety and Quality, PO Box 3094, Airport Central Post, 111 Muscat, Oman.
⁵ Department of Marine Science and Fisheries, College of Agriculture and Marine Sciences, Sultan Qaboos University, P.O. Box 34, Al Khoud, 123, Oman; Department of Food and Nutrition, College of Agriculture and Marine Sciences, Sultan Qaboos University, P.O. Box 33, Muscat 123, Oman.
⁶ Nanotechnology Research Center, Sultan Qaboos University, PO Box 17, Al-Khoudh, 123, Oman; Department of Petroleum and Chemical Engineering, College of Engineering, Sultan Qaboos University, PO Box 33, Al-Khoudh, Muscat 123, Oman.
⁷ Department of Marine Science and Fisheries, College of Agriculture and Marine Sciences, Sultan Qaboos University, P.O. Box 34, Al Khoud, 123, Oman; Centre of Excellence in Marine Biotechnology, Sultan Qaboos University, PO Box 50, Al-Khoud, 123 Muscat, Oman. Electronic address: sergey@squ.edu.om.

PMID: 32800955
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2020.08.096

Abstract

The current study describes the fabrication of chitosan‑zinc oxide nanorods composite (CHT/ZnO) on fiberglass panels (support substrate). ZnO nanorods (NRs) with size ranging from 20 to 100 nm and some microrods with an approximate size of 0.5-1 μm were grown on fiberglass panels. CHT 1%/ZnO composite had ZnO NRs incorporated into chitosan (CHT) coating while ZnO NRs were not visible in the CHT 2%/ZnO NRs composite. XRD and FTIR results showed the presence of the ZnO and chitosan. The water contact angle decreased from 80° ± 2° (control) to 65° ± 2° for CHT 1%/ZnO NRs and 42 ± 2° for CHT 2%/ZnO NRs composite coatings. The antimicrobial activities of the coated fiberglass panels were investigated using biofilm-forming bacteria Bacillus subtilis and Escherichia coli under both light and dark conditions. CHT/ZnO composite coated fiberglass panels showed the strongest antimicrobial activity compared to chitosan, ZnO NRs coatings, and Zn-based antifouling paint in the experiments with B. subtilis and E. coli under light conditions. The highest antifouling activity was observed for CHT 2%/ZnO composites. CHT/ZnO composites can be good alternatives to the toxic antifouling paints.

Keywords: Antifouling; Bacteria; Biofouling; Chitosan-ZnO nanocomposite; Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorods.

MeSH terms

Anti-Bacterial Agents / pharmacology*
Bacillus subtilis / drug effects
Bacillus subtilis / physiology
Biofilms / drug effects*
Chitosan / pharmacology*
Escherichia coli / drug effects
Escherichia coli / physiology
Nanocomposites / chemistry*
Nanotubes / chemistry*
Zinc Oxide / pharmacology*

Substances

Anti-Bacterial Agents
Chitosan
Zinc Oxide