Synthesis and Antibacterial Properties of Novel ZnMn2O4-Chitosan Nanocomposites

The development of productive antibacterial agents from nontoxic materials via a simple methodology has been an immense research contribution in the medicinal chemistry field. Herein, a sol-gel one-pot reaction was used to synthesize hybrid composites of hausmannite-chitosan (Mn3O4-CS) and its innovative derivative zinc manganese oxide-chitosan (ZnMn2O4-CS). Fixed amounts of CS with different metal matrix w/v ratios of 0.5%, 1.0%, 1.5%, and 2.0% for Mn and Zn precursors were used to synthesize ZnMn2O4-CS hybrid composites. X-ray diffraction analysis indicated the formation of polycrystalline tetragonal-structured ZnMn2O4 with a CS matrix in the hybrids. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopic analysis confirmed the formation of ZnMn2O4-CS hybrids. Detailed investigations of the surface modifications were conducted using scanning electron microscopy; micrographs at different magnifications revealed that the composites' surface changed depending on the ratio of the source materials used to synthesize the ZnMn2O4-CS hybrids. The antibacterial activity of the Mn3O4-CS and ZnMn2O4-CS composites was tested against various bacterial species, including Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhi, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The zone of inhibition and minimum inhibitory concentration values were deduced to demonstrate the efficacy of the ZnMn2O4-CS nanocomposites as antibacterial agents.