Nanorod-like Structure of ZnO Nanoparticles and Zn₈O₈ Clusters Using 4-Dimethylamino Benzaldehyde Liquid to Study the Physicochemical and Antimicrobial Properties of Pathogenic Bacteria

To study their physicochemical and antimicrobial properties, zinc oxide nanoparticles were synthesized using a simple chemical route and 4-dimethylaminobenzaldehyde (4DB) as an organic additive. ZnO nanoparticles were characterized with XRD analysis, which confirmed the presence of a hexagonal wurtzite structure with different crystalline sizes. The SEM morphology of the synthesized nanoparticles confirmed the presence of nanorods in both modifications of ZnO nanoparticles. EDS analysis proved the chemical composition of the synthesized samples via different chemical approaches. In addition, the optical absorption results indicated that the use of 4DB increased the band gap energy of the synthesized nanoparticles. The synthesized Zn₈O₈ and Zn₈O₈:4DB clusters were subjected to HOMO–LUMO analysis, and their ionization energy (I), electron affinity (A), global hardness (η), chemical potential (σ), global electrophilicity index (ω), dipole moment (μ), polarizability (α_tot), first-order hyperpolarizability (β_tot), and other thermodynamic properties were determined. Furthermore, the antimicrobial properties of the ZnO nanoparticles were studied against G+ (S. aureus and B. subtilis) and G− (K. pneumoniae and E. coli) bacteria in a nutrient agar according to guidelines of the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI).