Graphene–ZnO Nanohybrid Synthesis via Wheat Germ Lipase Exfoliation for Environmentally Compatible Antimicrobial Applications
6 affiliations
- 1BioISI-Biosystems & Integrative Sciences Institute, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Campo Grande, Lisboa, Portugal, 1749-016
- 2LEPABE – Laboratory for Process Engineering, Environment, Biotechnology and Energy, ALiCE – Associate Laboratory in Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, Porto, Portugal, 4200-465
- 3Universidade de Lisboa
- 4Centro de Química Estrutural
- 5Institute of Molecular Sciences and Departamento de Engenharia Química, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa
- 6Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Campo Grande, Lisboa, Portugal, 1749-016
Abstract
A graphene-supported ZnO bionanohybrid material (G@WG-ZnO) was prepared through an aqueous synthesis approach using immobilized wheat germ lipase (WG) as a natural biotemplate. The strategy enabled the in-situ formation of ZnO nanoparticles within the graphene-based material. X-ray diffraction, surface and elemental analyses confirmed the formation and incorporation of ZnO, with a Zn content of approximately 6 wt.%. The re-sulting G@WG–ZnO bionanohybrid exhibited significantly enhanced antibacterial activity compared with G@WG, which showed no detectable inhibition under the tested conditions, producing inhibition zones of 13.2 ± 2.0 and 9.8 ± 1.5 mm against Shewanella oneidensis and Staphylococcus aureus , respectively. The larger inhibition zone observed for S. oneidensis indicates a greater susceptibility of the Gram-negative strain to the nanohybrid, while the inhibition zones were comparable to those obtained with ZnO nanoparticles alone at a comparable ZnO amount. In addition, the G@WG–ZnO bionanohybrid reduced the growth of the sulfate-reducing bacterium Desulfovibrio vulgaris by 92 %, indicating potential relevance for controlling microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC). Ecotoxicological assessments showed a moderate response in Daphnia magna and no acute toxicity in Vibrio fischeri exposed to the leachates at the tested concentrations. Overall, these findings support immobilized WG as a biotemplate for the aqueous synthesis of graphene-supported ZnO nanohybrid material and demonstrate that ZnO incorporation provides antibacterial activity comparable to that of ZnO nanoparticles alone, highlighting the potential of the resulting nanohybrid for aquatic microbial control and MIC-related applications.
Related
- Environmentally benign synthesis of functionalized spiro[indoline-3,2'-pyrrole]-2,5'-diones via an aqueous-mediated squaric acid organocatalyzed protocol and their in vitro antimicrobial profiling.
- Upcycling rice husk ash into antiseptic-encapsulated ordered mesoporous silica materials for antimicrobial applications
- Multifunctional Antibacterial Nanocomposites Based on Graphene Oxide, Graphitic Carbon Nitride, and Cobalt Ferrite Functionalized with an Antimicrobial Polymer Blend and Silver Nanoparticles for Biomedical and Environmental Applications
- Chlorinated polyethylene nanocomposites using PCL/clay nanohybrid masterbatches
- Selective conversion of nitroarenes using a carbon nanotube–ruthenium nanohybrid
BibTeX
@misc{losadagarcia2026graphenezno,
title = {{Graphene–ZnO Nanohybrid Synthesis via Wheat Germ Lipase Exfoliation for Environmentally Compatible Antimicrobial Applications}},
author = {Noelia Losada-Garcia and Filipe J. Mergulhão and Rita Teixeira-Santos and Maria J. Romeu and Ana M. Botelho do Rego and Ana M. Ferraria and Luis F. Santos and Elisabete Ribeiro Silva},
howpublished = {ChemRxiv},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.26434/chemrxiv.15011076/v1},
url = {https://chemrxiv.org/doi/full/10.26434/chemrxiv.15011076/v1},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Graphene–ZnO Nanohybrid Synthesis via Wheat Germ Lipase Exfoliation for Environmentally Compatible Antimicrobial Applications
AU - Noelia Losada-Garcia
AU - Filipe J. Mergulhão
AU - Rita Teixeira-Santos
AU - Maria J. Romeu
AU - Ana M. Botelho do Rego
AU - Ana M. Ferraria
AU - Luis F. Santos
AU - Elisabete Ribeiro Silva
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/26
PB - ChemRxiv
DO - 10.26434/chemrxiv.15011076/v1
UR - https://chemrxiv.org/doi/full/10.26434/chemrxiv.15011076/v1
AB - A graphene-supported ZnO bionanohybrid material (G@WG-ZnO) was prepared through an aqueous synthesis approach using immobilized wheat germ lipase (WG) as a natural biotemplate. The strategy enabled the in-situ formation of ZnO nanoparticles within the graphene-based material. X-ray diffraction, surface and elemental analyses confirmed the formation and incorporation of ZnO, with a Zn content of approximately 6 wt.%. The re-sulting G@WG–ZnO bionanohybrid exhibited significantly enhanced antibacterial activity compared with G@WG, which showed no detectable inhibition under the tested conditions, producing inhibition zones of 13.2 ± 2.0 and 9.8 ± 1.5 mm against Shewanella oneidensis and Staphylococcus aureus , respectively. The larger inhibition zone observed for S. oneidensis indicates a greater susceptibility of the Gram-negative strain to the nanohybrid, while the inhibition zones were comparable to those obtained with ZnO nanoparticles alone at a comparable ZnO amount. In addition, the G@WG–ZnO bionanohybrid reduced the growth of the sulfate-reducing bacterium Desulfovibrio vulgaris by 92 %, indicating potential relevance for controlling microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC). Ecotoxicological assessments showed a moderate response in Daphnia magna and no acute toxicity in Vibrio fischeri exposed to the leachates at the tested concentrations. Overall, these findings support immobilized WG as a biotemplate for the aqueous synthesis of graphene-supported ZnO nanohybrid material and demonstrate that ZnO incorporation provides antibacterial activity comparable to that of ZnO nanoparticles alone, highlighting the potential of the resulting nanohybrid for aquatic microbial control and MIC-related applications.
ER -