CuO/NiO bimetallic nanocomposite: A facile DNA assisted synthetic approach and evaluation of bio efficacy

Abstract

In this present work, a simple chemical co-precipitation method was used to synthesize deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) capped CuO-NiO bimetallic nanocomposite. The morphology and structure related properties of the samples were analyzed using Energy Dispersive X-Ray Analysis, X-Ray Diffraction, Transmission Electron Microscopy and Scanning Electron Microscopy. Widely used Agar well diffusion method evaluated the antimicrobial activity of the sample. DPPH and FRAP assays were applied to test the antioxidant activity of the sample. Average crystallite size of 16.218 nm NiO and 15.871 nm CuO were confirmed within CuO- NiO bimetallic oxide nanoparticles by means of XRD technique. EDAX studies confirmed the purity of the sample. The grain size obtained from TEM studies matches with the XRD results. The free radical scavenging activity of sample was higher in lower concentrations, viz. 0.1, 1, 5 and 10 µg/ml of the sample and activity decreased after that. The IC50 value in FRAP assay shows the potential of this mixed metal oxide nanoparticle in radical scavenging. In agar well cut method, the sample showed moderate antibacterial activity against Mycobacterium smegmatis and Salmonella typhimurium. The results also showed that the CuO-NiO bimetallic nanoparticles are biologically compatible, environmentally benign and economical material having potential applications in biomedical industry.