Effects of ZnO nanoparticles on the antifungal performance of Fe3O4/ZnO nanocomposites prepared from natural sand

Ahmad Taufiq, Habibatun Nurul Ulya, Chusnana Insjaf Yogihati, Sunaryono, Nurul Hidayat, Nandang Mufti, Masruroh, Shuto Soda and Takayuki Ishida

Abstract

In the present study, the eco-friendly and economical methods have been developed by employing natural iron sand as a main precursor to create Fe₃O₄/ZnO nanocomposites (NCs). The formation of Fe₃O₄/ZnO NCs was confirmed using XRD, synchrotron-based SAXS, FTIR spectroscopy, and SEM. The XRD results revealed that the Fe₃O₄ and ZnO crystallised spinel cubic and hexagonal wurtzite structures. The SAXS results exposed the construction of fractal dimension with the values of 3.20–3.70, which indicated a compact structure in 3-dimensions. The SEM images showed that the morphology of the samples tended to agglomerate in nanometric size. The FTIR spectra proved the presence of the Fe–O and Zn–O bonds as the main components of the NCs. The UV–vis spectroscopy analysis revealed that the bandgap energy of the Fe₃O₄/ZnO NCs ranged from 2.244 to 3.533 eV. Furthermore, the Fe₃O₄/ZnO NCs demonstrated superparamagnetic behaviour with the blocking temperature below 212 K, and their saturation magnetisation increased with increasing Fe₃O₄ content. Interestingly, all samples demonstrated excellent inhibitory performance against C. albicans, which indicates that the Fe₃O₄/ZnO NCs synthesised by eco-friendly and economical methods from natural iron sand for the first time are novel candidates for use as high-performance antifungal agents.