Characterization of Copper Nanoparticles Synthesized via Metal Target Laser Ablation in Liquid

Abstract

Nanoparticles (NPs) with significant antimicrobial and antiviral properties are extensively studied in the last two decades [1, 2]. Copper (Cu) NPs were found to have antiviral properties against a range of viruses [3]. The NPs can increase the drug solubility in water and the drug uptake by the infected cell, increasing the biomedical application in drug delivery systems [4]. In this work, Cu NPs were synthesized by femtosecond laser ablation of the pure Cu target in water. The resulting pale green color of the colloid indicated the formation of the Cu NPs which was also confirmed by the Raman and XRD measurements. It was obtained that NPs consist of metallic Cu in a mixture with Cu2O. The Cu NPs were spray coated on the Polyvinyl butyral coated glass substrates aiming to develop antiviral surfaces. The antiviral efficacy was tested against model Infectious Bronchitis and Bovine herpesvirus viruses of animal origin. Figure 1 shows the peak positions of the Cu and Cu2O in the XRD diffractogram.