Antibacterial activities of copper nanoparticle-decorated organically modified montmorillonite/epoxy nanocomposites

Organically modified montmorillonite (OMt) was decorated by copper nanoparticles (with average diameters of 10 to 20 nm) at three different mass percentages at room temperature. Such OMt-Cu nanohybrid was incorporated into Mesua ferrea L seed oil modified epoxy resin (BPSE) to obtain clay mineral polymer nanocomposites (CPN). The nanohybrids and CPN were characterized by SEM, XRD, HRTEM and FTIR and UV-visible spectroscopic techniques. The antimicrobial efficacy of the as-prepared Mt-Cu nanohybrid and OMt-Cu/epoxy nanocomposites was also premeditated and significant antibacterial activity against ubiquitous Gram negative bacteria Klebsiella pneumonia and Gram positive bacteria Staphylococcus aureus was observed. In addition the OMt-Cu/epoxy nanocomposites exhibited enhancement in thermostability over the pristine system by 15 degrees C and tensile strength and in scratch hardness by 2.5 and 2.1 units respectively along with marginal improvement in the elongation at break value. The study reveals that the OMt-Cu/epoxy nanocomposites have the potentiality to be used as advanced antimicrobial materials. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.