Background: 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. Methods: 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. Results: Scanning electron microscopy analysis showed CuO nanoparticles evenly distributed on the surface of the gum matrix. X-ray diffraction of the synthesized nanoparticles indicates the formation of single-phase CuO with a monoclinic structure. The Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy peak at 525 cm⁻¹ should be a stretching of CuO, which matches up to the B_2u mode. The peaks at 525 cm⁻¹ and 580 cm⁻¹ indicated the formation of CuO nanostructure. Transmission electron microscope analyses revealed CuO nanoparticles of 4.8 ± 1.6 nm, 5.5 ± 2.5 nm, and 7.8 ± 2.3 nm sizes were synthesized with various concentrations of CuCl₂ · 2H₂O (1 mM, 2 mM, and 3 mM). X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy profiles indicated that the O 1s and Cu 2p peak corresponding to the CuO nanoparticles were observed. The antibacterial activity of the synthesized nanoparticles was tested against Gram-negative and positive cultures. Conclusion: The formed CuO nanoparticles are small in size (4.8 ± 1.6 nm), highly stable, and have significant antibacterial action on both the Gram classes of bacteria compared to larger sizes of synthesized CuO (7.8 ± 2.3 nm) nanoparticles. The smaller size of the CuO nanoparticles (4.8 ± 1.6 nm) was found to be yielding a maximum zone of inhibition compared to the larger size of synthesized CuO nanoparticles (7.8 ± 2.3 nm). The results also indicate that increase in precursor concentration enhances an increase in particle size, as well as the morphology of synthesized CuO nanoparticles.

The food packaging industry explores economically viable, environmentally benign, and non-toxic packaging materials. Biopolymers, including chitosan (CH) and gelatin (GE), are considered a leading replacement for plastic packaging materials, with preferred packaging functionality and biodegradability. CH, GE, and different proportions of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are used to prepare novel packaging materials using a simple solution casting method. The functional and morphological characterization of the prepared films was carried out by using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), UV–Visible spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The mechanical strength, solubility, water vapor transmission rate, swelling behavior, moisture retention capability, and biodegradability of composite films were evaluated. The addition of AgNPs to the polymer blend matrix improves the physicochemical and biological functioning of the matrix. Due to the cross-linking motion of AgNPs, it is found that the swelling degree, moisture retention capability, and water vapor transmission rate slightly decrease. The tensile strength of pure CH–GE films was 24.4 ± 0.03, and it increased to 25.8 ± 0.05 MPa upon the addition of 0.0075% of AgNPs. The real-time application of the films was tested by evaluating the shelf-life existence of carrot pieces covered with the composite films. The composite film containing AgNPs becomes effective in lowering bacterial contamination while comparing the plastic polyethylene films. In principle, the synthesized composite films possessed all the ideal characteristics of packaging material and were considered biodegradable and biocompatible food packaging material and an alternate option for petroleum-based plastics.

Nano-scale zero-valent iron (nZVI) has been conceived for cost-efficient degradation of chlorinated pollutants in soil as an alternative to e.g permeable reactive barriers or excavation. Little is however known about its efficiency in degradation of the ubiquitous environmental pollutant DDT and its secondary effects on organisms. Here, two types of nZVI (type B made using precipitation with borohydride, and type T produced by gas phase reduction of iron oxides under H2) were compared for efficiency in degradation of DDT in water and in a historically (>45 years) contaminated soil (24 mg kg(-1) DDT). Further, the ecotoxicity of soil and water was tested on plants (barley and flax), earthworms (Eisenia fetida), ostracods (Heterocypris incongruens), and bacteria (Escherichia coli). Both types of nZVI effectively degraded DDT in water, but showed lower degradation of aged DDT in soil. Both types of nZVI had negative impact on the tested organisms, with nZVI-T giving least adverse effects. Negative effects were mostly due to oxidation of nZVI, resulting in O2 consumption and excess Fe(II) in water and soil.