Antimicrobial efficacy and biocompatibility study of copper nanoparticle adsorbed mullite aggregates

A mullite based antimicrobial ceramic composite has been developed by simple adsorption of copper nano particle suspension. The physico-chemical properties of samples were characterized by different instruments which showed that the composite is well crystalline with homogeneous distribution of copper nanoparticles on the surface. Antimicrobial study was performed by plate count technique which showed > 99% mortality for all the bacterial species studied after 24 h of incubation. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values determined by batch culture process showed considerably low values (in terms of copper content) indicating that mullite matrix plays a role in enhancing the antimicrobial efficacy of the composite. Biocompatibility studies on human cancer cell lines indicated that the composite had negligible toxicity below 100 μg/mL of Cu content. Thus the composite can be suitable for developing antimicrobial ceramic wares and therapeutic purposes like treatment of variety of microbial infections.

► Synthesis of copper nanoparticle adsorbed antimicrobial mullite composites.
► The composite showed increased antimicrobial efficacy against bacteria.
► Biocompatibility studies with two human cell lines showed minimum adverse effects.
► Applications include antimicrobial ceramic wares and wound dressing materials.