Effect of bacterial cellulose on the conversion of copper nanoparticles to Cu2O nanocrystals

• Main Authors: Diwa, Majie Liza B., Floro, Justine Concepcion S.
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 2016
• Subjects: Nanostructured materials; Copper > Assaying; Biochemistry
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etd_bachelors/14961
• Institution: De La Salle University

Copper-based nanoparticles specifically nanocrystals were successfully synthesized through the horizontal vapor phase growth technique (HVPGT). Bacterial cellulose (BC) was incorporated with 10% copper overnight and was subjected to in situ reduction reaction approach via the reducing agents: sodium borohydride (NaBH4) and ascorbic acid (AscA). The reduction of copper on BC with sodium borohydride yielded copper nanosphres while reduction via ascorbic acid resulted to copper nanoflakes as seen under the scanning electron microscope (SEM). Characterization of the copper nanoparticles was then conducted via energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) which showed copper composition of approximately 90% and 70% for the nanospheres and nanoflakes respectively. The reduced BC-CU nanocomposites were placed in a quartz tube and was vacuum sealed at a vacuum pressure of approximately 10-5 torr. SEM micrographs of both samples at 1000oC showed incomplete formation of nanoparticles while SEM micrographs at 1200oC showed the formation of Cu2O nanocrystals for the BC-Cu nanocomposite reduced via NaBH4 and irregulary-shaped, spherical and hexagonal planar nanoparticles for the sample reduced via AscA.