Coalescing ZnO and graphene oxide to form ZnO@graphene oxide nanohybrid for healthcare applications

[Display omitted] •ZnO@GO were fabricated via simple and low-cost co-precipitation method.•ZnO particles spread on the graphene oxide with less agglomeration.•The bandgap of ZnO is adjusted.•Enhanced biocompatibility is evidenced. Nanohybrids with less toxicity and excellent antibacterial activity have fascinated researchers across the globe in the recent past. In the present work, zinc oxide@graphene oxide (ZnO@GO) nanohybrid along with zinc oxide (ZnO) were fabricated via the co-precipitation method. The structural and morphological features reveal the homogeneity in the dispersion of ZnO particles on the graphene oxide with less agglomeration. The band gap of ZnO decorated on the GO is found to be 3.18 eV while that of pristine ZnO is 3.21 eV. By using the disc diffusion method, the antibacterial efficacies of ZnO and ZnO@GO nanohybrid were gauged against the bacterial species Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. The enhancement in the antibacterial efficacy of the ZnO@GO nanohybrid reflects its advanced bio-compatibility compared to ZnO. The results reported herein focus the prominence of the nanohybrid based on the semiconductor hybridized with the carbonaceous materials in the development of effective bactericidal agents.