Antimicrobial and Antioxidant Activities of Synthesized CuS Hollow Cubes: Effect of Metal Nanoparticle Coating and Aging

Ongoing research on nanomaterials as a replacement for antimicrobial drugs is expeditiously increasing. Nanoparticles with multifunctional properties (antimicrobial and antioxidant) could be useful for numerous applications. The present study deals with core–shell nanoparticles synthesized by coating Ag/Au on the surface of CuS hollow cubes. Morphological analysis of uncoated and coated hollow cubes confirmed the size to be 500–600 nm along with the presence of a metal coating on the surface. These nanostructures were examined against different Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial strains, along with the strains of fungus. All the samples exhibit appreciable results; Ag-coated hollow cubes exhibit significant inhibition zones of 25.53 ± 0.39 and 23.47 ± 0.38 mm against Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus epidermidis, respectively. An inhibition zone of 26.32 ± 0.59 mm was obtained against the fungus Candida albicans. Also, significant results for antioxidant activity show that the Ag-coated CuS hollow cubes are better than other samples. The aging effect also played a pivotal role in this investigation. We have conducted a similar analysis on 6-month-aged samples kept under normal environmental conditions and obtained comparable results. This shows the stability and efficacy of synthesized samples, which make them potential candidates for multifunctional applications in the medical and cosmetic industries.