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Green synthesis and first-principles calculations of a highly efficient antibacterial agent: CuO/Ag nanocomposites

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Abstract

The current study addresses the problem of diseases transmitted from milk and dairy products to humans by bacteria. In the present study, CuO/Ag nanocomposites were synthesized, characterized, and tested for antibacterial activity. Sharp peaks at 2θ 37.38°, 44.04°, 64.31° and 77.27°, 32.29°, 38.28° and 46.36°, and 44.19°, 64.61° and 77.62° were observed in X-ray diffraction analysis, which correspond to the crystal planes of Ag, CuO and Ag–Cu, respectively. Scanning electron microscope image revealed the spherical shape of CuO/Ag nanopowders, with a size of 70 nm and crystallite size of 32 nm. The ultraviolet spectroscopy gave 2.25 and 2.06 eV bandgap energies for CuO and CuO/Ag, respectively. Furthermore, DFT calculations were performed in support of the experiment, and the structural change charge analysis and electronic band structures were analyzed. The antibacterial activity of CuO/Ag nanocomposites against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus was also evaluated using the Kirby–Bauer disk diffusion assay. Good antibacterial activity was observed against both milk bacteria with a sensitivity of 40–90% at CuO/Ag concentrations ranging from 6 to 200 mg/100 ml.

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Acknowledgements

We acknowledge the guidance and support of Professor Dr. Simeon Agathopoulos.

Funding

No research grants from funding agencies and organizations were available.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Agriculture, Allama Iqbal Open University, Islamabad, Pakistan

    Yadullah Baqir & Muhammad Tariq Tunio

  2. Department of Physics, Allama Iqbal Open University, Islamabad, Pakistan

    Syed Zafar Ilyas, Hareem Mufti, Abdul Jalil & Ather Hassan

  3. Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Ioannina, 451 10, Ioannina, Greece

    Simeon Agathopoulos

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  1. Yadullah Baqir
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  2. Muhammad Tariq Tunio
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  3. Syed Zafar Ilyas
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  6. Abdul Jalil
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  7. Ather Hassan
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Contributions

All authors contributed to the study material equally. The first draft of the manuscript was written by [Y.B., M.T.T., S.Z.I., S.A., H.M., A.J., and A.H.], and all authors commented on the revised version of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Ather Hassan.

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Baqir, Y., Tunio, M.T., Ilyas, S.Z. et al. Green synthesis and first-principles calculations of a highly efficient antibacterial agent: CuO/Ag nanocomposites. Chem. Pap. 77, 2459–2467 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11696-022-02637-8

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