Preparation of zeolite-A/chitosan hybrid composites and their bioactivities and antimicrobial activities

Zeolite-A/chitosan hybrid composites with zeolite contents of 20–55 wt.% were prepared by in situ transformation of silica/chitosan mixtures in a sodium aluminate alkaline solution through impregnation–gelation–hydrothermal synthesis. The products were characterized by X-ray diffraction, diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and mercury penetration porosimetry. Their in vitro bioactivities were examined using as-synthesized and Ca2 +-exchanged hybrid composites in simulated body fluid (SBF) for hydroxyapatite (HAP) growth. Their antimicrobial activities for Escherichia coli (E. coli) in trypticase soy broth (TSB) were evaluated using Ag+-exchanged hybrid composites. The zeolite-A/chitosan hybrid composites could be prepared as various shapes, including cylinders, plates and thin films. They possessed macropores with pore sizes ranging from 100 to 300 μm and showed compressive mechanical strength as high as 3.2 MPa when the zeolite content was 35 wt.%. Fast growth on the Ca2 +-exchanged hybrid composites was observed with the highest weight gain of 51.4% in 30 days. The 35 wt.% Ag+-exchanged hybrid composite showed the highest antimicrobial activity, which could reduce the 9 × 106 CFU mL− 1 E. coli concentration to zero within 4 h of incubation time with the Ag+-exchanged hybrid composite amount of 0.4 g L− 1. The bioactivity and antimicrobial activity could be combined by ion-exchanging the composites first with Ca2 + and then with Ag+. These zeolite-A/chitosan hybrid composites have potential applications on tissue engineering and antimicrobial food packaging.