Application of Box–Behnken design to optimize a sol-gel synthesis method for Ag and Zn doped CuO nanoparticles with antibacterial and photocatalytic activity

Inorganic nanomaterials with antibacterial and photocatalytic properties have gained considerable attention according to potential for biomedical and environmental applications. The aim of the present study was to prepare silver and zinc doped copper oxide nanoparticles with maximum antibacterial and photocatalytic activity. Response surface methodology using Box–Behnken design was employed for optimizing a sol-gel method according to Ag and Zn content and calcination temperature of the nanomaterials. Time-kill profiles against S. aureus and E. coli and photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue under UV-C irradiation were determined for the fifteen synthesized materials; and copper oxide nanoparticles containing 2% w/w silver and zinc atoms and calcined at 375 °C were found as the optimum material. XRD, SEM-EDX and TEM analyses showed formation of monoclinic phase of copper oxide nanoparticles with approximate diameter of 50 nm. They showed fast and efficient antibacterial and photocatalytic activity, resulted from a synergistic effect between their inorganic constituents. Graphical abstract