Development and antibacterial activities of bacterial cellulose/graphene oxide-CuO nanocomposite films

Abstract

The absence of antibacterial activity of bacterial cellulose (BC) restricts its applications in the biomedical field. To introduce antimicrobial properties into BC, we studied the synthesis, structure, and antimicrobial properties of a novel nanocomposite film comprising BC, graphene oxide (GO), and copper-oxide (CuO) nanosheets. The nanocomposite film was synthesized by incorporating GO-CuO nanohybrids into BC matrix through homogenized blending. The CuO nanosheets, with a length range of 50 nm–200 nm and width range of 20 nm–50 nm, which were uniformly grown on the GO along with even distribution of GO-CuO nanohybrids on the surface of the cellulose fibers. The nanocomposites displayed better antibacterial activity against gram-positive than gram-negative bacteria. BC/GO-CuO nanocomposites showed higher antibacterial activity than BC/CuO. We also elucidated the mechanism of antibacterial activity of the nanocomposites. Further, the nanocomposites exhibited biocompatibility towards mice fibroblast cells. The nanocomposites might serve as an excellent source for development of antibacterial materials.