Improved conductivity and antibacterial activity of poly(2-aminothiophenol)-silver nanocomposite against human pathogens

Publication date: January 2018
Source:Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology B: Biology, Volume 178
Author(s): P. Boomi, J. Anandha Raj, S.P. Palaniappan, G. Poorani, S. Selvam, H. Gurumallesh Prabu, P. Manisankar, J. Jeyakanthan, V.K. Langeswaran
A rapid and simple chemical synthesis of poly(2-aminothiophenol)‑silver (P2ATP-Ag) nanocomposite using conductive and electroactive silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) is reported. The AgNPs was synthesized by chemical reduction method using tri‑sodium citrate as reducing agent and poly(N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone) (PVP) as stabilizing agent. P2ATP-Ag nanocomposite was synthesized by using potassium peroxodisulphate as oxidant and the samples were characterized. The presence of AgNPs in the composite was confirmed from UV–Vis, FTIR and X-ray diffraction studies. Morphology of the P2ATP and its composite were investigated by SEM. HR-TEM images show spherical, trigonal and rod like morphologies with sizes of Ag nanoparticles and its composite. Thermal analysis revealed that the thermal stability of the P2ATP-Ag nanocomposite is improved when compared with pure P2ATP. The synthesized AgNPs, pure P2ATP and P2ATP-Ag nanocomposite were screened for antibacterial activity test against human pathogen such as Gram positive (Bacillus subtilis, ATCC-6051) and Gram negative (Vibrio cholerae, ATCC-14035), carried out by agar-well diffusion method at micro molar concentration. The result shows that P2ATP-Ag nanocomposite has excellent antibacterial activity due to the presence of Ag nanoparticles. The electrical conductivity of the P2ATP-Ag nanocomposite is better than that of pure P2ATP. The reported nanocomposite will be a potential material for electrocatalysis, sensors and biomedical applications.