Superior antibacterial activity of zinc oxide/graphene oxide composites originating from high zinc concentration localized around bacteria.

New materials with good antibacterial activity and less toxicity to other species attract numerous research interest. Taking advantage of zinc oxide (ZnO) and graphene oxide (GO), the ZnO/GO composites were prepared by a facile one-pot reaction to achieve superior antibacterial properties without damaging other species. In the composites, ZnO nanoparticles (NPs), with a size of about 4 nm, homogeneously anchored onto GO sheets. The typical bacterium Escherichia coli and HeLa cell were used to evaluate the antibacterial activity and cytotoxicity of the ZnO/GO composites, respectively. The synergistic effects of GO and ZnO NPs led to the superior antibacterial activity of the composites. GO helped the dispersion of ZnO NPs, slowed the dissolution of ZnO, acted as the storage site for the dissolved zinc ions, and enabled the intimate contact of E. coli with ZnO NPs and zinc ions as well. The close contact enhanced the local zinc concentration pitting on the bacterial membrane and the permeability of the bacterial membrane and thus induced bacterial death. In addition, the ZnO/GO composites were found to be much less toxic to HeLa cells, compared to the equivalent concentration of ZnO NPs in the composites. The results indicate that the ZnO/GO composites are promising disinfection materials to be used in surface coatings on various substrates to effectively inhibit bacterial growth, propagation, and survival in medical devices.