Structural, Raman and optical characteristics of Sn doped CuO nanostructures: A novel anticancer agent

SnxCu1-xO (where x=0, 0.04, 0.06 & 0.10) nanostructures have been prepared via co-precipitation technique and characterized for different physiochemical properties and anticancer activity. The synthesized nanostructures exhibit single phase monoclinic structure of CuO as confirmed by x-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy results. The Sn ions doping into CuO has been found to tailor the structural and morphological properties. The UV–visible absorption spectra show that CuO nanostructures have wide absorption peak extended from UV to visible region which is strongly influenced by the introduction of Sn ions in the host matrix. Finally, anticancer activity of the synthesized nanostructures has been determined against HeLa cancer cell line. Undoped CuO exhibits a stronger anticancer activity as compared to Sn doped CuO nanostructures which has been linked with the optical properties of these nanostructures.