Alocasia Indica Assisted Green Synthesis of Metallic Cu Nanoparticles for Enhanced Antimicrobial Activities

Abstract

In the past several years, the widespread utility of copper nanoparticles (CuNPs) has spurred global interest in streamlining synthesis methodologies. Notably, this study introduces an environmentally conscious strategy for synthesizing CuNPs using the extract of Alocasia indica. Employing a chemical reduction process, A. indica, abundant in phenolics and flavonoids, acts as a potent reducing agent. The nanoparticles (NPs) synthesized by A. indica have been carefully characterized by Ultraviolet–Visible (UV–Viz) spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDX), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), X-ray Diffraction (XRD) analysis and antimicrobial analysis. UV testing, spanning wave length, elucidates light absorption attributed to the newly formed CuNPs by showcasing a surface plasmonic resonance peak at 204 nm. The evolution of the FTIR spectrum of the produced CuNPs confirms the presence of diverse biomolecules. TEM delineates the synthesis of irregularly shaped particles. Elemental composition analysis via EDX identifies the presence of various elements, including C, O, Al, Cl, K and Cu, with detailed insights into their mass percentages, standard deviations, atom percentages and characteristic X-ray energy levels. The successful synthesis of CuNPs is validated by XRD, which reveals characteristic copper peaks at 2[Formula: see text] = [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text]. The synthesized NP showed 98.99% inhibition against Staphylococcus aureus and 99.99% inhibition against Escherichia coli. This research presents an easy, economical and ecologically friendly process for producing CuNPs utilizing A. indica extracts.