Cu-Ag core-shell particles were fabricated from Cu particles and silver sulphate with the environmental-friendly TA (tartaric acid, C4H6O6) as reducing and chelating agent in an aqueous system. The influences of [TA]/[Ag] and [Ag]/[Cu] molar ratios on the formation of Ag coatings on the Cu particles were investigated. The SEM images and SEM-EDS analyses showed that [TA]/[Ag] = 0.5 and [Ag]/[Cu] >= 0.2, the Cu particles were coated with uniform Ag nanoparticles. XRD analyses revealed that for these Cu-Ag particles heated at 250 degrees C, the oxidation of Cu was significantly reduced. Both anti-Staphylococcus aureus (Gram-positive) and anti-Escherichia coli (Gram-negative) characteristics of this Cu-Ag composite particles showed satisfactory antibacterial ability. The characteristics of the composite Cu-Ag particles were discussed in detail. Crown Copyright (C) 2013 Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.