Efficiency of Hydrothermal Synthesis of Nano/Microsized Copper and Study on In Vitro Antifungal Activity

In this study, the synthesis and characterization of copper nano/microparticles in the presence of (2,2 ',2 '',2 '''-(ethane-1,2-diylbis(azanetriyl))tetraacetohydrazide) as a capping and reducing agent under hydrothermal conditions for use in biological conditions were investigated. The effects of reductant ligand/copper ion, concentration ratios, reaction temperatures, and reaction time on the various morphologies of copper nano/microparticles were studied. The obtained particles have been characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectrum analysis (EDAX), and zeta potential analysis. Further, the formation of particles with different morphologies was confirmed. The biological and antifungal effects of these selected particles were compared with those of the Bordeaux mixture. Experiments were conducted on Alternaria alternata, Alternaria solani, and Fusarium expansum as three types of phytopathogenic fungi and Penicilliums as a non-phytopathogenic fungus. The results obtained showed that not only were the nano/microparticles more effective than Bordeaux mixture in killing phytopathogenic fungi, but also these particles did not have a fungicidal effect on the non-phytopathogenic fungus, Penicillium, which is an advantage of the obtained nano/microparticles.