Biosynthesis of chitosan-coated iron oxide (FeO) hybrid nanocomposites from leaf extracts of L. and study on their antibacterial potentials.

In this study, we prepared chitosan (CS)-coated iron oxide (FeO) nanocomposites (NCs) by employing the aqueous leaf extract of L. and evaluated its antimicrobial potential. The characterization of hybrid CS-FeO NCs was performed using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis to evaluate the chemical bonding of chitosan to nanoparticles (NPs). X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) studies revealed the presence of oxidation state elements Fe 2p, O 1s, N 1s, and C 1s, and the zeta potential analysis was found to have well-colloidal stability (+ 76.9 mV) of NCs. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis determined that CS-FeO NCs were spherical with an average particle size of 27 nm. The X-ray diffractometer (XRD) spectrum ascertained the crystallinity of the hybrid NCs and the vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) inferred the ferromagnetic behavior of the synthesized NCs. Furthermore, the significant antibacterial efficacy of NPs was demonstrated against foodborne bacterial pathogens, such as () and (), and the highest zone of inhibition was observed to be 11.5 mm and 13.5 mm in CS-FeO NCs, respectively. In comparison with FeO NPs, synergistic impacts of CS-FeO NCs displayed great antibacterial potential as exhibited by a clearly enlarged zone. Thus, CS-FeO NCs could be used as efficacious antimicrobial agents in food packaging and food preservation fields.