Sunlight‐driven antibacterial activity of a novel zinc oxide quantum dot and its optimization using Box–Behnken design—A medicament for communicable disease protective wearables

The current study focuses on microwave-assisted zinc oxide quantum dots synthesis (ZnO-QDs) from zinc oxide bionanocomposite (ZnO-BC) preparation. The novelty lies in the preparation of ZnO-QDs, since the natural elements present in ZnO-BC itself acted as a surface penetration enhancer without using any chemical agent. Under ultraviolet (UV) light ZnO-QDs emitted a blue glow, confirming the fluorescence property. Using Box-Behnken design, the experimental factors of ZnO-QDs were optimized, yielding a positive response of 350 nm absorbance and these results also matched with the UV-visible spectroscopy characterization studies of ZnO-QDs. Using Escherichia coli, the antibacterial activity of ZnO-BC in comparison to ZnO-QDs was determined using the well diffusion method and an inhibition zone ranging from 11 to 23 mm and in the broth assay the OD values were reduced by almost seven and 10 times for ZnO-BC and ZnO-QDs, respectively, when compared to the control (untreated). The antibacterial activity demonstrated that our newly prepared BC and its QDs have superior activity when compared to the standard antibiotics such as ampicillin. This type of nanomaterial can be used as a new bioactive natural material with light-assisted activity for antibacterial coatings in the manufacture of personal protective equipment.