A novel nanocomposite of polyaniline and Fe0.01Ni0.01Zn0.98O: Photocatalytic, electrical and antibacterial properties

• We synthesized a novel nanocomposite of Fe0.01Ni0.01Zn0.98O and polyaniline.
• Its photocatalytic behavior was compared with Fe0.01Ni0.01Zn0.98O nanoparticles.
• A whopping 99.47% dye removal was achieved in 5 h for the composite.
• The composite has higher dc conductivity than nanoparticles.
• Remarkable antibacterial activity is achieved against E. coli.

A novel composite of Fe0.01Ni0.01Zn0.98O nanoparticles (FNZPs) and conducting polymer polyaniline (PANI) was synthesized by in situ free radical polymerisation method. Iron/nickel co-doped zinc oxide nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized by sol–gel technique. The NPs and Fe0.01Ni0.01Zn0.98O/polyaniline nanocomposites (FNZP/PANI) were characterized by FTIR, EDX, SEM, HRTEM, SAED, UV–Vis and XRD techniques. Optical and photocatalytic studies revealed that formation of composite further lowers the optical band gap of FNZPs, leading to enhanced visible light absorption. Admirable photodegradation efficiency against methylene blue dye (MB) was achieved for composites. The electrical conductivity was also enhanced. The antibacterial activity of the synthesized NPs and nanocomposites (NCs) against Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria was analyzed by optical density method.

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