Incorporation Of Copper Nanoparticles Research Articles

Incorporation of Copper Nanoparticles on Electrospun Polyurethane Membrane Fibers by a Spray Method.

Electrospinning is an easy and versatile technique to obtain nanofibrous membranes with nanosized fibers, high porosity, and pore interconnectivity. Metal nanoparticles (e.g., Ag, Cu, ZnO) exhibit excellent biocide properties due to their size, shape, release of metal ions, or reactive oxygen species production, and thus are often used as antimicrobial agents. In this study, a combined electrospinning/spray technique was employed to fabricate electrospun polyurethane membranes loaded with copper nanoparticles at different surface densities (10, 20, 25, or 30 μg/cm2). This method allows particle deposition onto the surface of the membranes without the use of chemical agents. SEM images showed that polyurethane fibers own homogeneous thickness (around 650 nm), and that spray-deposited copper nanoparticles are evenly distributed. STEM-EDX demonstrated that copper nanoparticles are deposited onto the surface of the fibers and are not covered by polyurethane. Moreover, a uniaxial rupture test showed that particles are firmly anchored to the electrospun fibers. Antibacterial tests against model microorganisms Escherichia coli indicated that the prepared electrospun membranes possess good bactericidal effect. Finally, the antiviral activity against SARS-CoV-2 was about 90% after 1 h of direct contact. The obtained results suggested that the electrospun membranes possess antimicrobial activities and can be used in medical and industrial applications.

Towards the design of mechanical flexible electrodes for sensing: Self-standing polypyrrole-copper nanocomposites

Self-standing electrodes with intrinsic conductivity and high electrocatalytic activity emerge as an alternative to existing sensors given their promising flexibility and wearability. Herein we demonstrate the fabrication of flexible sensors based on a hybrid nanocomposite of self-supported polypyrrole electrodes modified with copper nanoparticles (PPy-Cu) for the electrochemical detection of dopamine. The surface morphology and composition of flexible nanocomposite electrodes was studied using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), in combination with elemental mapping through energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). Surface characterization by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) revealed that copper exists in both Cu(0) and Cu(II) forms. The incorporation of copper nanoparticles in the self-standing polypyrrole matrix introduced additional electroactive sites, further enhancing charge transfer, and improving the device's sensitivity. The sensing capability of self-standing PPy-Cu electrodes was evaluated using chronoamperometric measurements and optimized at various copper electrodeposition times. PPy-Cu 120s showed great performance for dopamine sensing with a low limit of detection of 1.19 μM and a linear range of 2.5 μM–250 μM. Additionally, the self-standing sensor is comprised entirely of Polypyrrole, a biocompatible polymer, and Copper nanoparticles, making it sustainable and environmentally friendly. These encouraging results pave the way for the development of next-generation flexible sensors for the detection of neurotransmitters and environmentally relevant analytes.

Transformation of cuprite to tenorite through a martensitic-like type process in copper-doped glasses annealed in reduced atmosphere with the metal copper formation

The incorporation of copper nanoparticles into the glass matrix has attracted great interest in many fields due to their significant physical and chemical properties and their applications (e.g. opto-electronic and bio-medical tools). Several methodologies, such as the doping method and subsequent annealing of the glass in oxidizing and reducing atmospheres to synthesize copper nanoparticles in a glass are widely used. In this work, the doping method and subsequent annealing of the glass in a Ar/H2 atmosphere has been used. This treatment caused a martensitic-type transformation which, to our knowledge, has not been mentioned in the literature. The result was the transformation from cuprite to tenorite about 300°C, and the presence of dispersed rounded and polyhedral copper nanoparticles and dendritic shapes of nanoparticles. The reaction of CuO and H2, between 250 and 300°C, originated metallic copper particles. The mechanism of the martensitic-type transformation has been derived from the characterization results of copper-doped glasses annealed in reduced atmosphere by optical microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The martensitic-like type structure could have imparted shape memory characteristics to the copper-doped glasses annealed in reduced atmosphere, opening a window for future research.

Hybrid materials based on chitosan functionalized with green synthesized copper nanoparticles: Physico-chemical and antimicrobial analysis

Recently, the development of materials with antimicrobial properties has become a challenge under scrutiny. The incorporation of copper nanoparticles (NpCu) into a chitosan matrix appears to represent a viable strategy to contain the particles and prevent their oxidation. Regarding the physical properties, the nanocomposite films (CHCu) showed a decrease in the elongation at break (5 %) and an increase in the tensile strength of 10 % concerning chitosan films (control). They also showed solubility values lower than 5 % while the swelling diminished by 50 %, on average. The dynamical mechanical analysis (DMA) of nanocomposites revealed two thermal events located at 113° and 178 °C, which matched the glass transitions of the CH-enriched phase and nanoparticles-enriched phase, respectively. In addition, the thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) detected a greater stability of the nanocomposites. Chitosan films and the NpCu-loaded nanocomposites demonstrated excellent antibacterial capacity against Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria, proved through diffusion disc, zeta potential, and ATR-FTIR techniques. Additionally, the penetration of individual NpCu particles into bacterial cells and the leakage of cell content were verified by TEM. The mechanism of the antibacterial activity of the nanocomposites involved the interaction of chitosan with the bacterial outer membrane or cell wall and the diffusion of the NpCu through the cells.These materials could be applied in diverse fields of biology, medicine, or food packaging.

Characterization and Antibacterial Potential of Melt Compounded Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene/Copper Nanoparticle Composites

Copper Nanoparticle (CuNP) is mi xed as nanofiller to Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) to pro duce a material that can control bacterial growth on material surfaces and improve antibacterial performance . The nanoco mposite i s produced via melt compounding using a twin-screw ext ruder. Three samples are prepared with 0%, 1.5% and 3% Copper Nanoparticle loading . Th e samples are extruded , placed in a mold and processed in a compression molding machine. The samples were characterized using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (F TI R), X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Dynamic Mechanical Testing (DMA) and Antibacterial Testing. Results from FTIR shows presence of molecular vibrations of Acrylonitrile, Butadiene and Styrene groups with the presence of foreign substances identified as an addi ti ve used in commercial ABS production. XRD showed t he incorporation of copper nanoparticles in the nanocomposites. DMA results shows that the incorporation of copper nanoparticles into the ABS matrix results to diverse effect on its mechanical and thermal p r operty. Lastly, antibacterial test showed that both 1.5 wt% CuNP and 3 wt% CuNP exhibited high effectivity on inhibiting Escherichia coli. Index terms: Copper Nanoparticle, Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene, filler, nanocomposite, antibacterial material, melt compounding, twin-screw extruder, Escherichia coli .

Incorporation of copper nanoparticles into the nitrogen‐doped carbon derived from nitrile functionalized ionic liquid as the non‐precious heterogeneous catalytic system toward nitro compounds reduction reaction, a first principle calculation

AbstractBACKGROUNDToday, Nitrogen‐doped carbon materials have gained attention as the robust solid catalyst support for immobilization nanoparticles to expand the heterogeneous catalytic systems due to their chemical and structural stability. Copper nanoparticles, known to be a cost‐effective metal, are one of the most efficient catalyst toward various organic transformations.RESULTSIn this paper, the covalent triazine framework mesoporous solid support was successfully fabricated by applying ionic liquid as a nitrogen containing carbon precursor during the ionothermal process with the help of ZnCl2 molten salt at 400 °C. The immobilization of cost‐effective copper nanoparticles on the surface of the new design support was carried out by using Cu (NO3)2 and N2H4. For characterization of the new heterogeneous catalyst, the combination of different physicochemical analyses was done to confirm the successful preparation of catalyst inclusive Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X‐ray diffraction, Field emission scanning electron microscopy, N2 adsorption–desorption isotherm, Raman spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis. Besides, DFT (Density functional theory) calculations have been performed to optimize the constructed structures and to calculate their Fermi levels and density of states.CONCLUSIONThe catalytic capability of this new design catalyst survived in hydrogenation of nitroarenes under aqueous and mild conditions. The result shows that this new heterogeneous mesoporous catalyst has excellent catalytic activity and a high stability towards nitroarenes hydrogenation reaction. Moreover, due to the high stability (thermal and structural), it was recovered and reused up to 7 times without any significant reduction in its catalytic activity. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry (SCI).

Flexural strength and anti-fungal activity of copper nano-particles on poly-methyl methacrylate denture base resins

Poly-methyl methacrylate is the most common dental material used for removable dental prosthesis. With copper nano-particles known for their inherent anti-microbial nature, influence of copper nano-particles on flexural strength and the anti-fungal properties on Poly-methyl methacrylate (PMMA) based denture base resins was evaluated. Copper nano-particles were prepared from cupric nitrate and samples were prepared as parts per million of copper to the control, 12.5 ppm (D12.5), 25 ppm (D25) and 50 ppm (D50). Three-point bending test was evaluated using a universal testing machine and anti-fungal property was evaluated using crystal violet staining. The results reveal flexural strength of PMMA was affected by the incorporation of copper nanoparticles. Addition of 25 ppm of copper nano-particles (D25) to denture base resins showed highest flexural strength and has an inhibitory effect on Candida albicans biofilm formation.

Click Electroless Plating and Sonoplating of Polyester with Copper Nanoparticles Producing Conductive Fabric

Here, copper nanoparticles were in situ synthesized on polyester fabric using cost effective chemicals, without stabilizing and sensitizing agents through a simple click electroless plating method to attain the electrical conductive fabric. Central composite design based on response surface methodology was applied to study the influence of copper salt precursor and reducing agent concentration on the electrical resistivity. The best sample with the lowest electrical resistivity was chosen and analyzed and then similar processing conditions were applied under ultrasonic condition besides final fabrics were subjected to the diverse characterizations. Findings suggested the potentiality of the one-pot sonoplating method for fabrication of copper nanoparticles on polyester fabric. The successful synthesis of copper nanoparticles on the polyester fabric was verified by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images and X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns. A remarkable low electrical resistivity of 0.5 Ω·cm obtained on the sonotreated samples produced with incorporation of copper nanoparticles. Further, good results indicated on the mechanical properties of the copper treated fabrics. All of the observations perceive the great potential applications of the product in electrical, medical and smart textiles industries.

Tuning the bandgap of m-ZrO2 by incorporation of copper nanoparticles into visible region for the treatment of organic pollutants

In the present study, a low-temperature process for the stabilization of Cu-ZrO2 nanocomposite has been designed. The synthesis of m-ZrO2 has been done via hydrothermal route followed by decoration of copper onto m-ZrO2 surface by chemical reduction of copper salt in ethylene glycol. The optical study of the Cu-ZrO2 nanocomposites shows that, as the concentration of copper increases, the bandgap of the nanocomposite decreases. Among the series of synthesized nanocomposites of Cu-ZrO2, the nanocomposite having 1:4 molar ratio of Cu: ZrO2 shows the excellent photo-degradation efficacy (degradation efficiency ∼94 %) in the visible light because of efficient charge separation as confirmed by spectroscopic techniques as well as kelvin probe force microscopic studies.

One-step fabrication of fatty acids/nano copper/polyester shape-stable composite phase change material for thermal energy management and storage

In this contribution, for the first time, fatty acids/nano copper/polyester composites were prepared by a facile and one-step route through simultaneous in situ formation of copper nanoparticles and direct absorption of fatty acids to polyester fibers for thermal energy management and thermal conductivity improvement. This eliminates synthesis of copper particles in the separate processing and also other processing such as electrospinning of fibers with using solvents and micro and nano encapsulation as well as shortening the time and processing steps. Two eutectics of fatty acids including myristic/lauric acid and myristic/stearic acid were used as phase change materials, ascorbic acid as a clean reducing agent for in situ synthesis of copper nanoparticles and polyester fibers as supporting material. The thermal behavior of the samples was investigated by using differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric analysis. Based on experimental results, the prepared composites provided a proper and wide temperature range of phase transitions from 29.4–34.2 to 35.7–52.7 °C with corresponding enthalpies of 40.3–53.9 and 41.9–55.0 J/g, respectively, that is appropriate for using in diverse applications. The incorporation of copper nanoparticles into eutectic of phase change materials leads to a 77.5% increase in thermal conductivity for the sample treated with lowest copper content. In addition, the treated samples indicated good thermal stability and reliability even after 100 melting and solidifying cycles. Finally, the mentioned method can be utilized for producing shape-stable composite phase change material with appropriate phase transition ranges for low temperature energy storage/retrieval systems.

Copper nano-sol loaded woven fabrics: structure and color characterization

Nano technology is an upcoming branch where lot of research work is being done with the intention of improving/changing properties of the materials. In this study polyester, cotton and polyester-cotton blended fabrics were coated with copper nano particles by pad-dry-cure technique. The morphology of nano-composite fabrics characterized using scanning electron microscope reveals that nanoparticles were dispersed on the fabric samples. The elemental analysis for confirming the presence of copper in the fabric samples was done using the Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy techniques. The X-ray diffraction analysis of the fabric samples helped to unveil that incorporation of copper nano particles increased the d-spacing value in polyester fabric to a greater extent in comparison to the cotton and polyester-cotton blended fabrics. The nano treated woven fabric samples were dyed using myrobolan; a natural dye. The samples were evaluated in terms of colourimetric parameters and colour fastness. The copper nano-sol treatment was found to improve both K/S and colour fastness.

Electrodeposited copper nanoparticles: plasmon enhanced performance of TiO2 for dye sensitized solar cell

The Copper being cheap and more abundant in nature is being utilized on a large scale as an energy harvester. The present work is carried out on studies of the plasmonic effect of copper nanoparticles in dyesensitized solar cells. The copper nanoparticles were electrochemically deposited from an aqueous solution of copper sulphate on TiO2 film coated on flourine doped tin oxide (FTO). The film was kept in an aqueous “Rose Bengal” dye before and after deposition of copper nanoparticles. The incorporation of copper nanoparticles enhanced the overall power conversion efficiency of the dye sensitized solar cell. This enhancement is manifested chiefly due to increased dye loading and strongly absorbed light due to localized surface plasmon resonance of incorporated Cu nanoparticles in dye sensitized solar cell.

A Novel Nano-finish Formulations for Enhancing Performance Properties in Leather Finishing Applications

The present study was aimed to investigate the novel approach for the promotion of leather finishing properties through the incorporation of copper nanoparticles (Cu nanoparticles). Cu nanoparticles were synthesized by chemical reduction method, and particle sizes were in the range of 25–50 nm. X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscope, ultra violet-vis spectrometry and scanning electron microscopy were used to characterize the Cu nanoparticles. The ascorbic acid was used as a protective agent to prevent the oxidation. Polyvinylpyrrolidone used as a stabilizing and dispersing agent, whereas sodium borohydride was used as a reducing agent. Spray coatings were carried out with Cu nanoparticles on both base and top coat formulations to evaluate their performance properties. Interestingly, the Cu nanoparticles coated leather samples showed the improved wet and rub fastness, color fastness to water and adhesion strength.

Effects of copper nanoparticles on the thermodynamic, electrical and optical properties of a disc-shaped liquid crystalline material showing columnar phase

Thermodynamic, electrical and optical studies have been carried out on a discotic liquid crystal (DLC), namely 2, 3, 6, 7, 10, 11-hexabutyloxytriphenylene (possessing columnar phase) and its copper nanoparticles (0.6 wt%) based composite. The ionic conductivity of DLC–copper nanocomposite has increased by about two orders of magnitude as compared to the pure system. Dielectric permittivity has also increased. The absorption spectra for pure and nanocomposites have been studied by UV–Vis spectrophotometer. The optical study suggests that surface plasmon resonance has been introduced in DLC due to the incorporation of copper nanoparticles. It has been observed that the presence of nanoparticles has decreased the optical band gap to 3.3 eV from 4.2 eV of the pure DLC. Enhanced properties are useful for one-dimensional conduction and photovoltaic applications.

Fabrication of wheat grain textured TiO2/CuO composite nanofibers for enhanced solar H2 generation and degradation performance

We report herein a simple, low-cost and scalable fabrication of unique wheat grain-like textured TiO2/CuO composite nanofibers (NFs) by electrospinning. Unlike conventional surface coupling/loading of co-catalyst nanoparticles, incorporation of copper nanoparticles during the electrospinning of TiO2 NFs ensures good stability and recyclability due to resistance against nanoparticles leaching. Optimization of electrospun NFs shows that TiO2/CuO composite NFs with 2.5wt% copper nanoparticles, annealed at 500°C exhibit highly textured structure with enhanced photocatalytic H2 generation of 16.8 times higher than that of bare TiO2 NFs. Furthermore, the electrospun TiO2/CuO composite NFs demonstrate favorable photodegradation activity. The ease of tuning morphology and its heterostructure composite as well as separation and recovery of the fibrous photocatalyst after photoreaction renders immense potential to remedy global environmental and energy issues.

Incorporation of copper nanoparticles into paper for point-of-use water purification

As a cost-effective alternative to silver nanoparticles, we have investigated the use of copper nanoparticles in paper filters for point-of-use water purification. This work reports an environmentally benign method for the direct in situ preparation of copper nanoparticles (CuNPs) in paper by reducing sorbed copper ions with ascorbic acid. Copper nanoparticles were quickly formed in less than 10 min and were well distributed on the paper fiber surfaces. Paper sheets were characterized by x-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy, and atomic absorption spectroscopy. Antibacterial activity of the CuNP sheets was assessed for by passing Escherichia coli bacteria suspensions through the papers. The effluent was analyzed for viable bacteria and copper release. The CuNP papers with higher copper content showed a high bacteria reduction of log 8.8 for E. coli. The paper sheets containing copper nanoparticles were effective in inactivating the test bacteria as they passed through the paper. The copper levels released in the effluent water were below the recommended limit for copper in drinking water (1 ppm).

Non-isothermal crystallization behavior of low-density polyethylene/copper nanocomposites

The influences of copper nanoparticles content and cooling rate on non-isothermal crystallization behavior of low-density polyethylene/copper (LDPE/Cu) nanocomposites were investigated. Nanocomposites were prepared by extruding mixtures of pure LDPE and copper nanoparticles using melt-blending method in a single-screw extruder. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) was used to analyze their non-isothermal crystallization behavior. The results indicate that both the incorporation of copper nanoparticles and cooling rates influence the crystallization behaviors of the LDPE matrix significantly. Especially, the dependence of the effective activation energy on the relative extent of crystallization implies that the copper nanoparticles dispersed in the nanocomposites may act as a heterogeneous nucleation for the crystallization of the LDPE matrix, and that the presence of the copper nanoparticles may hinder the transport of the molecule chains at the same time, resulting in a decrease of the crystallization growth rate of the LDPE matrix.