Green synthesis of CuO/RHA-MCM-41 nanocomposite by solid state reaction: Characterization and antibacterial activity

Title: Green synthesis of CuO/RHA-MCM-41 nanocomposite by solid state reaction: Characterization and antibacterial activity Authors: Ziksari, Monireh; Pourahmad, Afshin Abstract: The fabrication and characterization of mesoporous siliceous MCM-41 nanoparticles under room temperature using rice husk ash as an alternative cheap silica source is reported. Rice husk, combusted at 600 ºC for the production of amorphous silica, has been used for the preparation of CuO/RHA-MCM-41 nanocomposites containing 5.0 and 10.0 wt.% Cu under solid state reaction and calcined at 300 and 500 °C. XRD results reveal diffraction peaks for each of the two compounds in the nanocomposite. In the FT-IR spectra, all bands in nanocomposite sample show a shift with respect to that of the matrix nanoparticles, indicating that the copper oxide is incorporated in the matrix. TEM images indicate that nanoparticles size of CuO is ~ 4 nm. The novel nanocomposite exhibits excellent antibacterial activity against gram-positive (S. aureus) and gram-negative (E. coli) bacteria. Description: 1347-1351