Synthesis and Characterization of Copper Oxide Nanoparticles by Coprecipitation Method: Electronic and Antimicrobial Properties

Abstract

Monoclinic Copper oxide (CuO) nanoparticles were prepared by simple co-precipitation method. The structural and morphological crystals of CuO nanoparticles were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) techniques. To check the bonding between metal and oxide, FTIR was done. In order to study the band gap and optical properties of CuO nanoparticles (NPs), materials were annealed at 200 ℃, 300 ℃ and 400 ℃. Upon calcination of CuO nanoparticles at different temperatures, decrease in the band gap from 2.9-2.5 eV was observed. The CuO nanoparticles were also screened for gram positive (Micrococcus letius) and gram negative (E.Coli) bacterial strains. The results revealed that the synthesized CuO NPs could be used as antibacterial agents.