Facile Synthesis and Characterization of Cupric Oxide Loaded 2D Structure Graphitic Carbon Nitride (-CN) Nanocomposite: In Vitro Anti-Bacterial and Fungal Interaction Studies

The active and inexpensive catalyst cupric oxide (CuO) loaded foliar fertilizer of graphitic carbon nitride (-CN) is investigated for biological applications due to its low cost and easy synthesis. The synthesized CuO NPs, bulk g-CN, exfoliated -CN, and different weight percentages of 30 wt%, 40 wt%, 50 wt%, 60 wt%, and 70 wt% CuO-loaded -CN are characterized using different analytical techniques, including powder X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray analysis, and ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy. The nanocomposite of CuO NPs loaded -CN exhibits antibacterial activity against Gram-positive bacteria ( and ) and Gram-negative bacteria ( and ). The 20 μg/mL of 70 wt% CuO/-CN nanocomposite showed an efficiency of 98% for Gram-positive bacteria, 80% for , and 85% for . In the same way, since the 70 wt% CuO/-CN nanocomposite showed the best results for antibacterial activity, the same compound was evaluated for anti-fungal activity. For this purpose, the fungi and were used. The anti-fungal activity experiments were not conducted in the presence of sunlight, and no appreciable fungal inhibition was observed. As per the literature, the presence of the catalyst -CN, without an external light source, reduces the fungal inhibition performance. Hence, in the future, some modifications in the experimental conditions should be considered to improve the anti-fungal activity.