Antibacterial and catalytic activity of Cu doped ZnO nanoparticles: structural, optical, and morphological study

TL;DR: In this article, the structural optical, antibacterial activities of synthesized un-doped and Cu doped ZnO nano powders were studied using disc diffusion technique against both gram positive (S. aurous) and gram negative (E. coli) bacteria, which revealed the enhanced activity of the prepared nanoparticles with increasing content of the doping agent.

Abstract: Copper doped Zinc Oxide nanoparticles were synthesized using co-precipitation method. The structural optical, antibacterial activities were studied and compared with those of ZnO: Cu and the bare ZnO nanoparticles. XRD studies confirmed that all the prepared nanoparticles have hexagonal wurtzite structure of ZnO without any secondary phase after doping and the particle size was found to be within the range between 30 and 44 nm. By W–H (Williamson–Hall methods) analysis the strain occurred in ZnO and Cu: ZnO samples were calculated. UV–vis absorption spectra of the samples show sharp absorption edges around 290 nm. Optical absorption analysis of samples shows a red shift in the absorption band edge in Cu: ZnO nano-powders. The constituents of composites presence in Cu: ZnO samples were confirmed by FTIR data. The antibacterial activity of synthesized un-doped and Cu doped ZnO nano powders was studied using disc diffusion technique against both gram positive (S. aurous) and gram negative (E. coli) bacteria, which revealed the enhanced activity of Cu doped ZnO with increasing content of the doping agent. The catalytic activity of the prepared samples was analyzed with RhB (Rhodamine B) textile dye and 97% of efficiency was achieved for 5 wt% Cu doped ZnO nanoparticles within 6 min at pH 9.