Study on the antibacterial and antifungal properties of a highly stable zinc oxide nanofluid

Nano-zinc oxide has good antibacterial and antifungal properties, and a small amount of nanoparticles have good antibacterial effect. However, the agglomeration of nanoparticles in industrial production is a big problem. Under long-term standing, nano-zinc oxide is unstable and easy to agglomerate, resulting in antibacterial failure. In this study, nano-zinc oxide was prepared by a combination of physical and chemical methods, and it has long-term stability. After static storage at room temperature for 1 year, the dispersed zinc oxide can still maintain nanometer scale (92 nm). In addition, the zeta potential also indicates that the nanofluid has excellent stability. The zinc oxide nanofluids were tested to have good antibacterial and antifungal effects. This is mainly because the reactive oxygen species (ROS) it produces can kill bacterial cells, and this ROS can be produced even in the absence of light. The dispersion has great application potential in water-based coatings, paints, sprays, polymer materials, and other fields.