Fereshteh Ezzatighadi

A novel nanocomposite based on agricultural wastes was obtained. The adding of green TiO2 nanoparticles to clay and natural cellulose, cellulose@clay/TiO2 nanocomposite, was gained. This nanocomposite was characterized using ICP, FT-IR, UV, and XRD techniques. The nanocomposite was analyzed by FT-IR, SEM, TEM, XRD, UV–Vis spectroscopy, DLS, zeta potential analysis, atomic absorption spectroscopy, and elemental analysis. XRD analysis successfully confirmed the presence of cellulose, TiO2, and clay in the nanocomposite structure. In contrast, elemental analysis confirmed the existence of Si, C, O, Al, Al2O3, and Ti (TiO2), which confirmed the successful synthesis of the nanocomposite. Moreover, based on antibacterial activities, the disc diffusion method and growth percentage inhibition were determined under visible-light and dark conditions. The disc diffusion assay revealed the antibacterial activity of the nanocomposite on Gram-positive strains, especially in the presence of visible light illumination. In this study, in addition, the inhibition of Gram-positive and Gram-negative strains by the new nanocomposite and the antibacterial activity of the cellulose@clay/TiO2 nanocomposite were confirmed. As a result, the environmentally compatible nanocomposite showed much more effective deterrence of the growth ability of Gram-positive bacteria than Gram-negative strains under visible light conditions.