Blade-like structure of graphene oxide sheets decorated with cuprous oxide and silicon carbide nanocomposites as...

In the current work, graphene oxide nanosheets decorated with cuprous oxide nanospheres (GO/Cu₂O) and with silicon carbide nanowires (GO/SiC) were synthesized and controlled for using as blade-like antibacterial agents. Preparation of GO sheets with <2 nm thickness was performed through a modified Hummers approach. Controlled Cu₂O spheres with a mean size of 40 nm were prepared through a wet-chemical approach. For comparative studies, a single step chemical deposition method was used to prepare GO/Cu₂O and GO/SiC nanocomposites for using as antibacterial active materials. The nanomaterials' biological behavior and bacterial-resistance were assessed via selected Gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria and yeast strains. GO/Cu₂O nanocomposite exhibited higher antibacterial activity against different bacterial strains than GO/SiC composite. GO/Cu₂O exhibited average activity index, minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values, and viable cell numbers of 1.523, 10.438 µg/mL, and 82.962% for Bacillus subtilis, Brevibacillus brevis and Bacillus thuriginesis), 1.453, 32.00 µg/mL, and 68.418% for Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli) and 68.608% for Candida albicans, respectively. The antimicrobial efficiency of the blade-like GO/Cu₂O was elucidated by scanning electron microscopy through the complete wrapping of the cell membranes and disrupting their shape morphology. GO nanosheets could increase the Cu₂O dispersion in the aqueous solution, prevent their agglomeration, and stabilize its action in aqueous solution with high microbial toxicity.