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. 2020 Jan 2;13(1):182.
doi: 10.3390/ma13010182.

Cytotoxicity, Antioxidant, Antibacterial, and Photocatalytic Activities of ZnO-CdS Powders

Irina Zgura  1 , Nicoleta Preda  1 , Monica Enculescu  1 , Lucian Diamandescu  1 , Catalin Negrila  1 , Mihaela Bacalum  2 , Camelia Ungureanu  3 , Marcela Elisabeta Barbinta-Patrascu  4
Affiliations

Cytotoxicity, Antioxidant, Antibacterial, and Photocatalytic Activities of ZnO-CdS Powders

Irina Zgura et al. Materials (Basel). .

Erratum in

Abstract

In this work, ZnO-CdS composite powders synthesized by a simple chemical precipitation method were thoroughly characterized. The morphological, structural, compositional, photocatalytical, and biological properties of the prepared composites were investigated in comparison with those of the pristine components and correlated with the CdS concentration. ZnO-CdS composites contain flower-like structures, their size being tuned by the CdS amount added during the chemical synthesis. The photocatalytic activity of the composites was analyzed under UV irradiation using powders impregnated with methylene blue; the tests confirming that the presence of CdS along the ZnO in composites can improve the dye discoloration. The biological properties such as antioxidant capacity, antibacterial activity, and cytotoxicity of the ZnO, CdS, and ZnO-CdS composites were evaluated. Thus, the obtained composites presented medium antioxidant effect, biocidal activity against Escherichia coli, and no toxicity (at concentrations less than 0.05 mg/mL for composites with a low CdS amount) for human fibroblast cells. Based on these results, such composites can be used as photocatalytic and/or biocidal additives for photoactive coatings, paints, or epoxy floors, which in their turn can provide a cleaner and healthier environment.

Keywords: ZnO–CdS composites; antibacterial activity; antioxidant capacity; cytotoxicity; methylene blue discoloration.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript, or in the decision to publish the results.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
(a,a’) XRD patterns; (b,b’) the representation of the Kubelka-Munk function involved in the estimation of the band gap values; (c,c’) the SEM images of the pristine components: (a–c) ZnO and (a’–c’) CdS.
Figure 2
Figure 2
XRD patterns of ZnO–CdS powders.
Figure 3
Figure 3
XPS spectra of ZnO–CdS15 powder: (a) Survey spectrum; (b) Zn2p3/2 spectrum; (c) O1s spectrum; (d) Cd3d spectrum; (e) S2p spectrum.
Figure 4
Figure 4
SEM images at two magnifications and particle size distribution histograms of ZnO–CdS powders: (a,a’,a’’) ZnO–CdS5; (b,b’,b’’) ZnO–CdS10; (c,c’,c’’) ZnO–CdS15; (d,d’,d’’) ZnO–CdS20; (e,e’,e’’) ZnO–CdS25.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Photoluminescence spectra of (a) ZnO and (b) ZnO–CdS powders (λexc = 350 nm).
Figure 6
Figure 6
ln(C0/C) vs. time for MB discoloration in the presence of ZnO and ZnO–CdS powders. The linear fit of the data is also shown (the straight line).
Figure 7
Figure 7
MB discoloration efficiency vs. time in the presence of ZnO and ZnO–CdS powders.
Figure 8
Figure 8
(a) Fluorescence spectra acquired in a solution containing TA (0.5 mM) and NaOH (2 mM), under UV light, at different irradiation times; (b) plot of the emission band intensity at 425 nm vs. irradiation time for ZnO and ZnO–CdS15 powders.
Figure 9
Figure 9
In vitro antioxidant capacity of ZnO, CdS, and ZnO–CdS powders.
Figure 10
Figure 10
Antibacterial activity of ZnO, CdS, and ZnO–CdS powders against Escherichia coli ATCC 8738 and the corresponding zone of inhibition.
Figure 11
Figure 11
ZOI diameter (in mm) exhibited by the ZnO–CdS powders vs. CdS concentration.
Figure 12
Figure 12
Cytotoxic effect of ZnO, CdS, and ZnO–CdS powders on BJ cells evaluated using MTT assay. Each value represents the mean ± SD of three experiments.
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