Antibacterial activity of zinc oxide and copper oxide nanoparticles against nosocomial bacterial strains

Azouani Rabah, Rania Dadi, Chr

Abstract

The aim of this work is the development of nanomaterials based on metal oxide nanoparticles with enhanced microcide activity for surface decontamination. The synthesis of zinc and copper oxide nanoparticles of 5 nm diameters was performed by the sol-gel method. The antibacterial activity were measured on Gram-positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus) and Gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa) using the disk diffusion method and ATP bioluminescence analysis. This approach is used to select the best compromise between antimicrobial effect and nanoparticles concentration for coating applications. Thin films were carried out using Dip-coating technique. Relevant mechanisms of the antibacterial activity will be discussed.