Adsorption and release of thymol using metal organic framework Zn2(BDC)2(DABCO) and its chitosan nanocomposite

Abstract

Metal organic frameworks (MOFs) are new drug delivery systems because they have large surface area, tunable pore sizes, and controlled drug release. In the present work, Zn2(BDC)2(DABCO) MOF is prepared by a quick and simple method. Then, thymol is loaded into MOF (thymol@MOF) and its chitosan (MOF-CH) at room temperature. And finally, the release of thymol from two samples is investigated. Chitosan polymer has been modified the MOF to develop an efficient adsorbent for the first time and controlled release. The samples were characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy for determination of functional groups, X-ray diffraction (XRD) for evaluation of crystal structure, field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) for investigation of morphology and size, and ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy for evaluation of thymol amount. The antibacterial activity of samples was investigated by Escherichia coli (E. coli) as gram-negative bacterium and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) as gram-positive bacterium. Based on the results, thymol was successfully encapsulated in MOF and MOF-CH, and the samples have high-efficiency antibacterial activity.