One pot synthesis, characterization of polyaniline and cellulose/polyaniline nanocomposites: application towards in vitro measurements of antibacterial activity

The development of novel polymeric composites has attracted a great deal of attention due to their wide applications in various fields. In this investigation, we report on the synthesis of Polyaniline (PANI) and its cellulose nanocomposites via insitu oxidation polymerization method using aniline and cellulose with ammonium persulfate as oxidizing agent and thoroughly characterized using different analytical techniques. The polymer and its nanocomposites are characterized by Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) and Ultra Violet (UV)-visible spectroscopy. The structure, morphology and size of the nanocomposites are analyzed using X-ray diffraction method (XRD) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The thermal stability has been investigated by Thermogravimetry-Differential Thermal (TGA/DTA) analysis. The electrochemical responses of the prepared polymer and its composites have been studied by cyclic voltammetry. Also, the pure polyaniline and its nanocomposites are screened for their invitro antibacterial activity against three types of bacterial stain. The result showed that minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the novel PANI-Cellulose (PANI-C) nanocomposite is relatively lower than that of the pristine PANI. This confirms the enhanced activity of PANI-Cellulose nanocomposite than the pure PANI.