Unveiling sustainable, greener synthesis strategies and multifaceted applications of copper oxide nanoparticles

The green synthesis of metallic nanoparticles (NPs) has garnered significant interest owing to their eco-friendly and sustainable approach, which utilizes natural resources as both reducing and stabilizing factors. This method yields NPs with desirable properties suitable for various applications in diverse areas. Among different metal oxide NPs, copper oxide (CuO) NPs have drawn considerable interest due to their excellent properties and applications in diverse fields of nanomedicine and biomedicine. Various methods are used to synthesize CuO NPs, including physical, chemical, and biological approaches. Physicochemical methods are known to be highly toxic, energy-intensive, and expensive, while biological synthesis offers an eco-friendly, cost-effective, simple, and reliable method of producing CuO NPs. This review discusses the potential utilizations of CuO NPs synthesized using a greener approach in various fields, including antifungal, antibacterial, antiviral, anti-inflammation, anticancer, anti-oxidant, drug delivery, wound healing, biosensor, environmental remediation, photodegradation, nano fertilizers, textile industry, nanofluid, energy storage, and so on. The eco-friendly and sustainable nature of the synthesis process, coupled with the versatile applications of CuO NPs, underscores the importance of green synthesis approaches in the advancement of nanotechnology for a sustainable future.