Antioxidative Activity of Galic acid-functionalized ZnO Nanoparticles

In this study, we report a novel antioxidant ZnO nanoparticle that is newly designed and prepared by simple surface modification process. Antioxidative functionality is provided by the immobilization of antioxidant of 3,4,5-trihydroxybenzoic acid (galic acid, GA) onto the surface of ZnO nanoparticles. Microstructure and physical properties of the ZnO@GA nanoparticles were investigated by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), infrared spectroscopy (IR) and steady state spectroscopic methods. The antioxidative activity of ZnO@GA was also evaluated using ABTS (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) radical cation decolorization assay. Notably, ZnO@GA showed strong antioxidative activity in spite of the conjugation process of GA on the ZnO surface. These results provide that GA-coating onto ZnO nanoparticles may offer an intriguing potential for biomedical devices as well as nanomaterials.