Subaer, Abdul Haris, Nurfadilla, Nur Syamsih Amalia, Nur Akifah
A research to study the prospect of geopolymers-Cu nanoparticles (Cu-NPs) as antibacterial and antifungal composites has been conducted. Geopolymers paste was synthesized through alkali activation of metakaolin. Cu-NPs was produced from CuSO4.5H2O particles by means of bio reduction using aqueous of ginger extract. The composites were produced by adding Cu-NPs into geopolymers paste by varying the mass of Cu-NPs from 0 g, 1.5 g, 2.0 g, 2.5 g, and 3.0 g, relative to 30 g of metakaolin. The mixture was poured into a sealed mold and cured at 70°C for 2 hours. The resulting composites were then stored at open air for 28 days prior to any measurements. X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements were performed to investigate the crystallinity and phases of the starting materials and the composites. Fourier Transform Infra-Red (FTIR) measurements were performed to study the functional groups of Cu-NPs as well as the composites. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS) were used to investigate the microstructure of the starting as well as the resulting materials. The mechanical properties of the resulting composites was determined based on three points bending flexural strength measurement. The results showed that geopolymers-Cu-NPs composites is a promising material to be applied as antibacterial and antifungal. © 2018 Author(s).
Geopolymers and Green Material Group, Physics Department, FMIPA, Universitas Negeri, Makassar, Indonesia
