Copper (II) Oxide Nanoparticles Immobilized in Cellulose Acetate Nanostructured Membrane

Abstract

Copper (II) oxide (CuO) was successfully synthesized via sonochemical-assisted route, where it was incorporated in cellulose acetate (CA) to develop an antimicrobial textile by electrospinning. The CuO material was found to have a monoclinic crystal structure as determined by x-ray diffraction analysis (XRD). On the other hand, scanning electron micrographs (SEM) have shown spindle like morphology for the synthesized CuO. The micrographs of the electronspun material were found to have a smooth and bead-free morphology with a fiber diameter that range from 1.9 to 4.3 μm. The presence of CuO oxide in the polymer matrix was determined by energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and optical microscopy. The actual loadings of CuO into the polymer matrix are slightly different from the expected amount, which might be attributed to the heterogeneous dispersion of the latter to the former. The incorporation of CuO in the polymer membrane slightly affected tensile property of the composite material. The CuO-CA samples were found to have antimicrobial activity against Pseudomonas aerugenosa ATCC 27853 as evaluated by Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method. The present study has demonstrated the possibility of using the fibrous mats of cellulose acetate-copper oxide as a novel antimicrobial textile.