Akfiny Hasdi Aimon, William Xaveriano Waresindo, Salma Aridha Muflihah, Muhammad Ilham Gusti Yuliantoro, Nalia Resky Ag Zubir, Muhammad Arief Mustajab Enha Maryono, Khairurrijal Khairurrijal
Green synthesis of ZnO–PEE nanocomposites via Pachyrhizus erosus (PEE) extract provides a sustainable, standardized route to high-performance nanomaterials. This study establishes the structure-function relationship governing their antibacterial efficacy. We synthesized ZnO–PEE nanocomposites with varying precursor concentrations and evaluated their physicochemical properties. XRD patterns confirm a phase-pure hexagonal wurtzite structure, with an optimal crystallite size of 33.33 nm (achieved at 0.1 M precursor), which maximizes surface-area-to-volume ratio while limiting particle agglomeration. FTIR and UV-vis data verify bio-functionalization by PEE-derived phytochemicals, which promote charge transfer and modulate bacterial oxidative stress. DLS analysis shows that sonication effectively reduces particle size, improving colloidal stability. ZPE-0.1 achieved 99.43% antibacterial efficiency against Staphylococcus aureus at 1000 ppm, outperforming pure ZnO. These results demonstrate that precisely tuning ZnO morphology through phytochemical-assisted synthesis directly dictates antibacterial performance, establishing ZPE-0.1 as an optimized antimicrobial agent for biomedical applications. © 2026 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
Research Group of Physics and Technology of Advanced Materials, Department of Physics, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Institut Teknologi Bandung, Jalan Ganesha No. 10, Jawa Barat, Bandung, 40132, Indonesia; Department of Physics Education, Faculty of Education and Teacher Training, Universitas Katolik Parahyangan, Jalan Ciumbuleuit No. 94, Jawa Barat, Bandung, 40141, Indonesia; Center for Green and Sustainable Materials, Institut Teknologi Sumatera, Jalan Terusan Ryacudu, Way Hui, Jati Agung, Lampung, Selatan, 35365, Indonesia