Graphene-Wrapped Copper Nanoparticles: An Antimicrobial and Biocompatible Nanomaterial with Valuable Properties for Medical Uses
Vasileios Vasilopoulos, Maria Pitou, Ilias Fekas, Rigini Papi, Andreas Ouranidis, E. Pavlidou, P. Patsalas, Theodora Choli‐Papadopoulou
Abstract
The great demand for antibacterial, biocompatible, and easily manufactured nanostructures has led to the design and development of graphene-wrapped copper nanoparticles (CuNPs) supported on Si wafers. In this study, we investigated the antibacterial properties of graphene/CuNPs nanostructures against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Additional experiments regarding graphene/CuNPs nanostructures behavior against mouse fibroblast cell line L929 indicated their biocompatibility and consequently render them as model biomaterials for medical uses. Biofunctionalization of graphene/CuNPs nanostructures with a high-molecular-weight protein (green fluorescent protein), which retains its functionality after a "tight binding" on the nanostructure's surface, opens the way for attaching and other proteins, or biomolecules of great biological interest, to prepare novel biomaterials.