Investigation of ZnS Nanoparticle Antibacterial Effect

ZnS (Zinc Sulfide) nanoparticles (2-4 nm) were synthesized by chemical precipitation method. Their characteristics and physical properties were evaluated by scanning tunneling microscopy, ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometry and X-ray diffraction. It was found that the synthesized ZnS nanoparticles are cubic of high-quality. Moreover, it was realized that ZnS optical properties are related to the environment temperature. Antibacterial effects of ZnS nanoparticles against some pathogen bacteria were studied. Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Actinomycete and Salmonella typhi were used as test microorganisms. Disc bacteriological tests were performed in order to assess the effects of ZnS concentration (0.3 to 50 mg/mL) as antibacterial agent. The inhibition zone diameter was directly and strongly related to the nanoparticle concentration and Actinomycete was the most affected bacteria.