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

• This study reports the room temperature decoration of OMMT by copper nanoparticles.
• This is the first report on Cu nanoparticle decorated OMMT epoxy nanocomposites.
• Significant antibacterial property was observed for the systems.
• The nanocomposites were nontoxic as tested by the RBC hemolysis protection assay.
• Significant improvement in thermal and mechanical property was observed.

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 OMt-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 °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.