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Antimicrobial Activity of Cerium Doped Zinc Oxide for Antifouling
Application
Amie Zaidah Binti Amran
Supervisor: Dr. Wan Rafizah binti Wan Abdullah
Bachelor of Technology (Environment)
School of Ocean Engineering
Universiti Malaysia Terengganu
Biofouling causes major problems in medical and engineering applications. Unwanted
growth of microbes on submerged surface can be prevented by application of
antifouling agent. In this study, antifouling agent made of Ce doped ZnO powder
containing various Ce doping concentrations (0.2 to 1.0 mol%) was synthesized
through citrate gel and solid state sintering technique. Its antimicrobial activity against
E.coli and S.aureus was determined using well diffusion method and its photocatalytic
disinfection property was determined in photodegradation test. All synthesized Ce
doped ZnO demonstrated antibacterial activity only against S.aureus and
photocatalytic characteristics. Within 180 min of UV irradiation, Ce doped ZnO induced
photocatalytic disinfection of up to 100% of E.coli and 100% of S.aureus. Exceptional
antimicrobial activity and photocatalytic disinfection efficiency were observed in 0.8
mol% Ce doped ZnO. It is therefore proven that Ce doped ZnO powder can break the
cycle of biofilms and prevent fouling.
22 | U M T U N D E R G R A D U A T E R E S E A R C H D A Y 2019