Morphology-dependent antibacterial activities of Cu2O

Cubic and octahedral Cu2O microcrystals were synthesized by the reduction of a copper-ligand complex solution with glucose under microwave irradiation using ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) and N,N,N'. N'-tetramethyl ethylenediamine (TMEDA) as ligands. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) confirmed that the surfaces of the cubic and octahedral of Cu2O microcrystals had {100} and {111} lattice planes. The antibacterial activity of the Cu2O microcrystals against E. coli was examined using optical density (OD) methods. The antibacterial activity of the cubic Cu2O crystals was superior to that of the octahedral Cu2O crystals. The mechanism of the specific morphology-controlled synthesis of Cu2O and their morphology-dependent antibacterial activity are discussed. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.