Interaction of chitosan capped ZnO nanorods with Escherichia coli

ZnO nanorods of around 80 nm length and 30-60 nm diameter, encapsulated in chitosan were synthesized through co-precipitation technique and was characterized by XRD, UV-VIS, SEM, HRTEM, AFM and FTIR. The aim of the study was to investigate the attachment of chitosan capped zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NP) with Escherichia coli bacterial outermost cell membrane and their mode of action against these bacteria. The detailed characterization studies were carried out to develop insight into the process of influence of these nanostructures on bacterial cells. Antibiotic characteristics of chitosan capped ZnO nanoparticles have been compared with Amoxicillin by zone of inhibition through cup plate method. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.