CuO/Cu(OH)2 hierarchical nanostructures as bactericidal photocatalysts

Various morphologies of CuO/Cu(OH)2 nanostructures with different adsorbed –OH contents were synthesized on an acid-treated Cu foil through variation of NaOH concentration from 0 to 50 mM with an in situoxidation method. X-ray diffractometry and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) indicated formation of CuO on the Cu(OH)2 crystalline phase at a growth temperature of 60 °C for 20 h. Antibacterial activity of the nanostructures against Escherichia coli bacteria was studied in the dark and under light irradiation. The nanostructures grown at a NaOH concentration of 30 mM showed the highest surface area and the strongest antibacterial activity among the samples. After elimination of the contribution of the effective surface area of the nanostructures to the antibacterial activity, it was found that the surface morphology and chemical composition of the nanostructures were the other most important parameters in the antibacterial activity of the nanostructures. Using XPS analysis, the better photocatalytic activity per surface area of the nanostructures prepared at higher NaOH concentrations was substantially attributed to the amount of adsorbed OH bonds on the surface of the nanostructures.