Structural, Raman, optical and novel antibacterial characteristics of Al doped CuO nanostructures

In the present study, Al doped CuO shuttle like nanorods with different Al concentrations have been synthesized using simple chemical co-precipitation method and structural, Raman scattering, optical and novel antibacterial characteristics have been investigated. The successful incorporation of Al ions in lattice of CuO and single phase monoclinic crystal structure of CuO have been verified via x-ray diffraction (XRD). Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) micrographs have shown formation of shuttle like nanorods with decreasing trend in length and diameter as result of Al doping. Structural distortions in CuO nanorods have been seen with Al doping as indicated by Raman scattering results. The presence of Al ions in CuO lattice has been found to greatly influence the optical properties owing to formation of defects and difference in electro-negativities of host and dopant ions. The band gap energy of CuO has been increased with the Al doping level which may be associated with particle size and oxygen vacancies. Moreover, Al doping has lead to enhanced antibacterial activity of CuO nanostructures which may be associated with particle size and enhanced ROS production. (paper)