Synthesis of CuO and CuO/ZnO Composite Powders for Antibacterial, Photocatalytic, and Pigment-Related Applications

Incorporation of CuO into ZnO contributes to the formation of CuO/ZnO composite, thus enhancing some properties of individual oxides such as antibacterial and photocatalytic activities. The current study evaluated the effect of both synthesis and in-situ syntheses of copper oxide on the zinc oxide particles using Copper(II) nitrate trihydrate as the starting material as well as acetic acid, D200, SHMP, PVP, CTAB, SDS, urea, and M2P surfactants. The impact of surfactants on the microstructure and chromatic properties of the samples was also investigated. The results from scanning electron micrographs showed different morphologies of copper oxide particles in the forms of needle, round, and flake depending on the type of surfactant. Moreover, the chromatic properties of the powders showed that the pigment synthesized in the presence of SHMP was in a better and darker black color than the others. Further, copper oxide powders exhibited more proper anti-bacterial behavior than the copper oxide/zinc oxide composite powders. In addition, copper oxide/zinc oxide particles had higher photocatalytic activity (up to 95 %) than copper oxide powders (about 65 %).