Effect of Copper in ZnO Nanoparticles on their Bactericidal Properties Against E. Coli and B. Subtilis

In this article, we present the chemical precipitation synthesis and characterization of undoped/copper-doped ZnO nanoparticles. According to X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, the samples present a crystallographic hexagonal arrangement (type wurtzite), and the lattice parameters prove that <tex xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">$\text{Cu}$</tex> ions enter the crystal lattice without affecting the ZnO structure. Undoped or copper-doped ZnO nanoparticles exhibit spherical morphologies with average diameters of 19.56 nm to 30.91 nm. Finally, the antibacterial behavior against B. Subtilis and E. Coli strains was evaluated. The copper-doped nanoparticles with a concentration of <tex xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">$1.5 \text{mg} / \text{mL}$</tex> showed higher inhibitory activity (37%) against <tex xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">$E$</tex>. Coli. The results suggest that it is possible to use the nanoparticles synthetized as a bactericidal agent.