Green synthesis of copper oxide nanoparticles using gum karaya as a biotemplate and their antibacterial application

Copper oxide (CuO) nanoparticles have attracted huge attention due to catalytic, electric, optical, photonic, textile, nanofluid, and antibacterial activity depending on the size, shape, and neighboring medium. In the present paper, we synthesized CuO nanoparticles using gum karaya, a natural nontoxic hydrocolloid, by green technology and explored its potential antibacterial application.

The CuO nanoparticles were synthesized by a colloid-thermal synthesis process. The mixture contained various concentrations of CuCl2 • 2H2O (1 mM, 2 mM, and 3 mM) and gum karaya (10 mg/mL) and was kept at 75°C at 250 rpm for 1 hour in an orbital shaker. The synthesized CuO was purified and dried to obtain different sizes of the CuO nanoparticles. The well diffusion method was used to study the antibacterial activity of the synthesized CuO nanoparticles. The zone of inhibition, minimum inhibitory concentration, and minimum bactericidal concentration were determined by the broth microdilution method recommended by the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute.