Structure and synergetic antibacterial effect of zinc and cerium carried sodium zirconium phosphates

Zinc and cerium carried zirconium phosphates (Zn-Ce/ZrPs) were prepared by exchanging zinc and cerium cations into sodium zirconium phosphate (NaZrP) through the ion-exchange method and characterized by X-ray diffraction(XRD), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Furthermore, the specific surface area, zeta potential and antibacterial activity were tested. The results showed that Zn-Ce/ZrPs were with hexagonal crystal system, and the surface area of Zn-Ce/ZrPs increased much more than that of NaZrP. Zn-Ce/ZrPs showed obvious synergetic antibacterial effect, and have the potential to be used as antibacterial agents in environmental control.