Extraction of nanocellulose and in-situ casting of ZnO/cellulose nanocomposite with enhanced photocatalytic and antibacterial activity

Polymer hosted metallic nanostructures with diverse applications have become a prominent area of materials science, engineering and technology. In this study nanocellulose (NC) was synthesized from oil palm empty fruit bunches biomass via alkaline treatment and acid hydrolysis and characterized. The obtained NC was used as a host polymer for the synthesis of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanostructures through in-situ solution casting method. Alkaline treatment and acid hydrolysis increased the percentage crystalline index from 35.7% to 43.3% and 53.3% respectively. X-ray diffraction studies pointed to cellulose I, with a monoclinic structure. Zinc oxide/cellulose nanocomposite displayed more photocatalytic activity than pure ZnO nanostructures upon degradation of methylene blue, and also improved antibacterial activity against Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus and Gram-negative Escherichia coli.