Facile Method for the Synthesis of Copper Nanoparticles Supported on the Organoclay Material

In this study, synthesis of copper nanoparticles was performed using organoclay as a support to stabilize the nanoparticles. Organoclay amount was gradually increased, which had an effect on the morphology of the resultant nanoparticles. Low amount of organoclay added resulted in larger and agglomerated copper nanoparticles whereas increased amount of organoclay gave smaller sized nanoparticles. The hybrid materials were characterized using the SEM and TEM for morphology, XRD and FT-IR spectroscopy for structural elucidation, thermal analysis using TGA and also studying their antibacterial effect on the two well-known gram negative bacteria of E. coli and P. Aeruginosa. The synthesized nanoparticles were found to be crystalline Cu nanoparticles with a mix of CuO. Larger sized copper nanoparticles and agglomerates showed the higher thermal behaviour as compared with smaller nanoparticles with higher organoclay loading. The hybrid showed an improved antibacterial activity as compared with organoclay alone. The hybrid showed the higher antibacterial effect against the P. aeruginosa microorganism as compared with the E. coli microorganism.