Copper-copper oxide coated nanofibrillar cellulose: a promising biomaterial

Nanocellulose is gaining impetus as a hierarchical material in many advanced applications. The isolation of nanocellulose from easily available bio-resources is an area to be delved into thoroughly. This article highlights the isolation of nanofibrillar cellulose from an abundant natural source, Colocasia esculenta, by a chemical method. The nanofibrils were coated with copper-copper oxide nanoparticles through a 'green' reductive technique using the alcoholic extract of Terminalia chebula fruit. The prepared fibrils and the nanohybrid were characterized by Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopic studies. The coated nanofibrils showed promising antimicrobial activity against Staphyllococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Candida albicans. The nanohybrid was quite compatible with peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) as well as mammalian red blood cells (RBCs). The structural integrity of bovine serum albumin (BSA) was unaltered upon interaction with the nanohybrid. The biocompatible and antimicrobial nanohybrid presented here possesses high potential to be used as a biomaterial in a suitable niche of modern biomedical fields.