ECO-FRIENDLY SYNTHESIS OF NANOSTRUCTURED ZnO PARTICLES FROM FREE-RANGE CHICKEN EGGS AND THEIR ANTIBACTERIAL POTENTIAL
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: This study investigates an ovalbumin-assisted route to produce nanostructured ZnO powders using free-range chicken egg white and zinc acetate solutions at 1 M and 2 M. The synthesized samples, denoted ZnO_1 and ZnO_2, were calcined at 550 °C for 2 h and characterized by ATR-FTIR spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM–EDS). XRD analysis confirmed the formation of single-phase hexagonal wurtzite ZnO and indicated crystallite sizes of 11.9 ± 0.2 nm for ZnO_1 and 23.7 ± 0.2 nm for ZnO_2. SEM observations revealed agglomerated particles with irregular polyhedral morphologies and micrometric dimensions ranging from 0.244 to 0.657 µm for ZnO_1 and from 0.148 to 0.609 µm for ZnO_2. The estimated production costs were approximately EUR 1.10 g⁻¹ and EUR 1.13 g⁻¹, respectively. Antibacterial activity was evaluated against Escherichia coli and Enterococcus faecalis at a ZnO concentration of 0.2 mg mL⁻¹. After 30 min, ZnO_1 and ZnO_2 reduced E. coli counts by 97.7% and 99.2%, respectively, while no detectable colonies remained after 4 h. For E. faecalis, reductions of 52.4% and 64.8% were obtained after 4 h, increasing to 90.3% and 82.1% after 24 h. These findings demonstrate that zinc acetate concentration affects the structural and morphological characteristics of the resulting ZnO powders. The time-dependent antibacterial responses suggest that crystallite size and particle aggregation may influence activity; however, further replicated and mechanistic studies are needed to establish this relationship.
Source: Journal of Science and Arts
Language: English
Subfield: Materials Chemistry
Field: Materials Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
SDG: Zero hunger
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W7220404137