Biomimetic Synthesis and Antibacterial Characteristics of Magnesium Oxide—Germanium dioxide Nanocomposite Powders

摘要

The efficiency of growth of nanocrystalline magnesium oxide-germanium dioxide nanocomposite powders at room temperature was investigated in the presence of the amino acids histidine, aspartic acid, and the biopolymer polyL-lysine under varying conditions. It was observed that of the three, poly-L-lysine and histidine were more efficient and formed higher yields of the products. The growth of the nanocomposties was found to be pH-sensitive as indicated by zeta potential as well as TEM, and dynamic light scattering analyses. Furthermore, the nanocomposite powders were found to have significant antibacterial activity against Gram-negative (Escherichia coli) and Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus) bacteria.