Synthesis, Structure Determination, and Biological Activity Study of Copper Oxide/Hydroxide Nanoparticles Using UV-irradiation Method

This study involved the synthesis of copper oxide/hydroxide (CuO and Cu(OH)₂) nanoparticles via the UV-Vis method. The resulting nanoparticles were characterized using different analytical techniques such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The morphological and structural characteristics of the synthesized nanoparticles were analyzed, revealing that the particle sizes of the samples ranged from 21.66 to 15.95 nm. Their antibacterial properties were determined against two different types of bacterial strains, namely Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus (+ve) and Gram-negative Pseudomonas aeruginosa (-ve), in addition to their activity against Candida albicans fungi. The results indicated that all the prepared nanoparticles exhibited a strong ability to inhibit the growth of bacteria and fungi. The Cu(OH)2 nanoparticles provided a maximum inhibition zone for each bacterial and fungal strain at the highest concentrations of each type.