Synthesis and antimicrobial activity of copper nanoparticle loaded regenerated bacterial cellulose membranes

A series of copper nanoparticle (CuNP) loaded regenerated bacterial cellulose (RC) membranes were fabricated. The prepared membranes were characterized in terms of their morphology and chemical composition. The results of SEM, EDS and elemental mapping indicated that CuNPs were successfully loaded into the RC matrix and RC-Cu membranes exhibited a homogeneous structure. XPS and XRD results showed copper is mainly present in the form of nanoparticles in the RC membranes. Antibacterial activity was evaluated against S. aureus ATCC 6538, B. subtilis ATCC 9372, C. albicans CMCC(F) 98001, E. coli ATCC 25922 and P. aeruginosa ATCC 27853 in vitro and RC-Cu membranes showed a significant antibacterial activity influenced by the CuNP content. Hence, RC-Cu membranes might have a great potential for use in the wound dressings and other biomedical areas.