Abstract Attapulgite (APT) is a natural one-dimensional clay mineral with good biocompatibility and has emerged as a promising nanomaterial for the construction of performance-enhanced nanocomposites. In this study, we developed a ZnO quantum dots-incorporated APT antibacterial nanocomposite by the Aloe vera extract-mediated green route. With the combined assistance of binding interactions of ZnO nuclei with APT and capping effect of active compounds in Aloe vera extract, the quantum-sized ZnO nanoparticles with hexagonal Wurtzite structure and sizes of <5 nm were uniformly decorated on the APT surface, resulting in a high-active antibacterial nanocomposite. The obtained ZnO/APT nanocomposites displayed favorable antibacterial activities, and the minimum inhibitory concentrations of the nanocomposite with ZnO loading of 20% against E. coli and S. aureus were 2.5 and 0.5 mg·mL−1, respectively. This antibacterial performance was far better than that of APT and could almost be comparable to that of pure ZnO. For the green process, the phenolic compounds, proteins, and amino acids in Aloe vera extract were involved in the reduction and capping of ZnO, which contributed to a facile green strategy for preparation of the ZnO-modified APT nanocomposites. The present work provides new insight into the potential applications of APT in the antibacterial fields.

中文翻译：

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氧化锌量子点的生物介导合成修饰凹凸棒石纳米复合材料以提高抗菌性能

摘要 凹凸棒土（APT）是一种天然的一维粘土矿物，具有良好的生物相容性，已成为构建性能增强纳米复合材料的一种很有前途的纳米材料。在这项研究中，我们通过芦荟提取物介导的绿色途径开发了一种掺入 ZnO 量子点的 APT 抗菌纳米复合材料。借助 ZnO 核与 APT 的结合相互作用以及芦荟提取物中活性化合物的封端效应，在 APT 表面上均匀修饰了具有六方纤锌矿结构且尺寸小于 5 nm 的量子尺寸 ZnO 纳米颗粒，从而形成了高活性抗菌纳米复合材料。所获得的 ZnO/APT 纳米复合材料表现出良好的抗菌活性，ZnO负载量为20%的纳米复合材料对大肠杆菌和金黄色葡萄球菌的最低抑菌浓度分别为2.5和0.5 mg·mL-1。这种抗菌性能远优于APT，几乎可以与纯ZnO相媲美。对于绿色工艺，芦荟提取物中的酚类化合物、蛋白质和氨基酸参与了 ZnO 的还原和封端，这为制备 ZnO 修饰的 APT 纳米复合材料提供了一种简便的绿色策略。目前的工作为 APT 在抗菌领域的潜在应用提供了新的见解。芦荟提取物中的氨基酸和氨基酸参与了 ZnO 的还原和封端，这为制备 ZnO 修饰的 APT 纳米复合材料提供了一种简便的绿色策略。目前的工作为 APT 在抗菌领域的潜在应用提供了新的见解。芦荟提取物中的氨基酸和氨基酸参与了 ZnO 的还原和封端，这为制备 ZnO 修饰的 APT 纳米复合材料提供了一种简便的绿色策略。目前的工作为 APT 在抗菌领域的潜在应用提供了新的见解。