Abstract :

Water Contamination By Synthetic Dyes And Pathogenic Microorganisms Poses A Critical Global Health Challenge That Conventional Treatment Technologies Address Inadequately. This Study Reports The Synthesis And Systematic Characterization Of Ternary Nanocomposite Films Comprising Chitosan (CS), Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles (ZnO NPs), And Graphene Oxide (GO) For Concurrent Photocatalytic Dye Degradation And Broad-spectrum Antimicrobial Activity. ZnO NPs Were Prepared By Wet Chemical Co-precipitation And GO By The Modified Hummers Method; Films Were Fabricated By Solution Casting And Designated CS, CS/ZnO, And CS/ZnO/GO. X-ray Diffraction (XRD) Confirmed The Hexagonal Wurtzite Structure Of ZnO And Successful Three-phase Integration Without Structural Transformation. Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) Spectroscopy Revealed Molecular-level Chemical Interactions, Including A Zn–O Stretching Shift (435 → 480 Cm⁻¹) And Disappearance Of The GO Carboxyl Peak At 1718 Cm⁻¹, Evidencing Covalent And Hydrogen Bonding Throughout The Composite Matrix. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) Demonstrated That GO Nanosheets Serve As Two-dimensional Scaffolds That Homogeneously Disperse ZnO NPs And Suppress Agglomeration. The CS/ZnO/GO Ternary Film Exhibited The Highest Zones Of Inhibition Against All Tested Bacteria (E. Coli, P. Aeruginosa, B. Subtilis, S. Aureus) And Pathogenic Fungi (Aspergillus Niger, Aspergillus Flavus, Candida Albicans). Photocatalytic Degradation Of Rhodamine B Under Solar Irradiation Followed Pseudo-first-order Kinetics (R² > 0.98), Confirming Efficient Dye Mineralization. These Results Establish CS/ZnO/GO Nanocomposite Films As Highly Promising Multifunctional Platforms For Antimicrobial Packaging And Wastewater Remediation.

Published:

22-4-1-2026

Issue:

Vol. 26 No. 4-1 (2026)

Page Nos:

726-731

Section:

Articles

License:

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

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