Antibacterial studies of copper deposited water hyacinth fiber using RF plasma sputtering process

ABSTRACT

Water hyacinth [Eichhornia crassipes] is a widely available natural fiber and used in many applications in recent years. Eco friendly plasma sputtering technique has been employed to get Copper (Cu) coat on Water hyacinth fibers. The effects of working pressure, power and working time have been considered to optimize the best possible output on Cu coated fibers. Functional group of the coated and uncoated fibers has been analyzed by XRD and ATR-FTIR. The Surface morphology is analyzed by Scanning Electron Microscope and the hydrophobic nature of the fiber is measured by Water Contact Angle measurement. The antibacterial properties and behavioral change of the material has been discussed. It shows that the Cu coated fiber acquires greater antibacterial activity against Escherichia Coli (E.coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S.aureus) than the raw fiber. The Changes in the moisture content of Cu deposited fibers are characterized quantitatively using Thermo Graphic Analyzer.

KEYWORDS:

• Antibacterial
• contact angle
• wavelet analysis
• moisture
• copper
• scanning electron microscope

Acknowledgments

Authors would like to acknowledge Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT) Chennai for encouragement and laboratory support to carry out the research work.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.