Synthesis and characterization of zinc oxide nano-particles and their medical applications by pulse laser ablation in liquid (PLAL) technique

In this study, the synthesis and characterization of ZnO nanoparticles (ZnONPs) by pulsed laser ablation technique (PLAL) were studied. ZnONPs were synthesized by Nd-YAG laser bombardment of high purity (99.99%) zinc targets in colloidal solutions prepared in double distilled water. Synthesis of ZnONPs by pulsed laser ablation technique (PLAL) was performed by applying different pulse numbers (100, 150, 200, 250, 300, 350, 400). The effect of pulse number on the physical and biological properties of synthesized ZnONPs was investigated. In the physical characterization of these particles, the structural, morphological, and optical properties of ZnONPs were made using X-ray diffraction diffractometer (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), UV-Vis spectroscopy, respectively. In addition, their antibacterial activities were determined by using the agar disc diffusion method for their biological properties. As a result of X-ray diffraction analysis, it was determined that the synthesized nanoparticles were in hexagonal wurtzite structure and the grain size was calculated. While the number of impacts had no effect on the structural properties of ZnONPs, it was found to be effective on their morphological properties. It has been determined that the sizes of ZnONPs vary between 66.2-66.7 nm and the shapes of these particles become spherical with the increase in the number of impacts. Compounds in the structure of ZnONPs were determined by FTIR spectroscopy. Absorbance and transmittance spectra were obtained and forbidden band gap and refractive index values of nanoparticles were calculated. The antibacterial activity of ZnONPs was determined by investigating the effect on two gram-positive (Staphylococcus epidermis and Streptococcus mutants) and two gram-negative (Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli) bacteria grown on nutrient agar slants