Mild Synthesis of Copper Nanoparticles with Enhanced Oxidative Stability and Their Application in Antibacterial Films

Abstract

Copper nanoparticles possess unique physical and chemical properties; however, their application is often restricted, owing to their tendency to oxidize. In this work, we prepared copper nanoparticles with enhanced oxidative stability via a simple and low-cost method, where a modified starch was used as an environmentally friendly reducing agent and biocompatible polyethylenimine was used as a stabilizer. The prepared copper nanoparticles could be stored in air for at least 6 months without any oxidation in a dried state. Interestingly, our synthesis could even be performed at room temperature with a longer reaction time. We used various characterization methods to study the reaction mechanism. The prepared copper nanoparticles were further uniformly doped into an agar film, and this composite showed excellent bacterial killing efficiency, owing to the antibacterial properties of the copper nanoparticles. Our composite film shows potential for various clinical applications, such as wound dressing materials.

Prevalence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and antimicrobial-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa in patients with pneumonia in mainland China: a systematic review and meta-analysis

“…These prescription patterns were common across different types of infections. For example, more than 60% of the antimicrobial prescriptions for CAP had an incorrect dose or frequency of use, which might be further combined with errors in the duration or choice of agents as well as individual patient deviations from the prescribed therapy [46][47][48]. Key factors underlying the frequent and improper use of antimicrobials in China may include a lack of professional training and public education, lax regulations and supervision and payment policies that encourage clinicians to prescribe antimicrobials 45,48.…”

Surface and Interface Designs in Copper-Based Conductive Inks for Printed/Flexible Electronics

“…The surface oxide layer on Cu nanoparticles exerts two adverse effects: (i) it increases the sintering temperature and (ii) reduces electrical conductivity. Therefore, controlling the surface oxidation on Cu nanoparticles is important to minimize surface oxidation [ 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 ]. Yabuki et al investigated the oxidation behavior of Cu nanoparticles (~20 nm in size) under a 20% oxygen-nitrogen (N 2 ) condition by the mass gain of Cu nanoparticles at 150–300 °C via thermogravimetry (TG) [ 31 ].…”

“…Aside from alkylamines, Tang et al found useful polyamines of polyethylenimine (PEI) for the oxidation resistance of Cu nanoparticles in aqueous solution [ 38 ]. The three typical moieties of PEI, i.e., primary amine, secondary amine, and tertiary amine, form strong chemical bonds with the Cu nanoparticle surface through the coordination between Cu and the amines.…”

“…Adsorption property calculation of ( c ) primary amine, ( d ) secondary amine, and ( e ) tertiary amine groups of polyethylenimine (PEI) with a Cu (111) surface. Reprinted with permission from reference [ 38 ], Copyright American Chemical Society, 2018. ( f ) Schematic representation of the ligand exchange process where oleylamine (OAM) attached to the CuNPs is replaced by incoming thiol ligand.…”

Antimicrobial Hydrogels: Promising Soft Biomaterials

“…[36] Some other materials show photoactivity like metal oxide and are largely used as an antimicrobial agent. [37][38][39] During the past few years, these photoactive materials have also been used in the preparation of the antimicrobial hydro- Figure 5. Low molecular weight hydrogel-forming peptide NapFFKK-OH reported by McCloskey et al [26] Figure 6.…”