Fabrication of newly developed pectin –GeO2 nanocomposite using extreme biomimetics route and its antibacterial activities

The combination of pectins and germanium dioxide may generate novel materials with excellent and unique properties combining the advantages of macromolecules, derived from renewable resources and metal oxide nanoparticles. Pectin–GeO2 nanocomposite was prepared by hydrothermal method at room temperature. Structural morphology and chemical interactions between GeO2 and pectin were analyzed using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy Equipped with Attenuated Total Reflectance (FTIR-ATR), AC impedance spectroscopy, Scanning Electron Microscopy-Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectrophotometer (SEM-EDS) Thermo gravimetric analysis (TG) and Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC). According to the TEM observation, the average composite granules size was about 70 nm and the embedded GeO2 nanoparticles were uniform with an average diameter of 20 nm. The pectin-germanium dioxide degradation was observed in one single DSC endoderm peak at 100°C (Area swept 276.4 mJ and enthalpy change 48.1 J/g) and three DTG peaks in the temperature range between 165 and 570°C. All the results suggest the pectin–GeO2 nanocomposite as a promising candidate for biomedical and environmental applications.