Synthesis and characterization of polyaniline/Ag–Pt nanocomposite for improved antibacterial activity

Polyaniline, polyaniline/Ag–Pt nanocomposite and bimetal (Ag–Pt) colloidal solution were chemically synthesized and characterized by UV–vis, XRD, FT-IR, TGA, HRSEM with EDAX and HRTEM techniques. The results reveal that there was a strong interaction between Ag–Pt nanocomposite and polyaniline chains. This interaction makes only small changes in the backbone chain of polyaniline/Ag–Pt nanocomposite when compared with polyaniline. TGA result revealed greater thermal stability of the composite. HRSEM images showed pebble like morphology for polyaniline/Ag–Pt nanocomposite. The average grain size of Ag–Pt nanoparticle was found to be 2–5 nm, which is confirmed by HRTEM analysis. The polyaniline and polyaniline/Ag–Pt nanocomposite were tested for antibacterial activity. The composite showed improved inhibition efficiency with a maximum zone diameter of 30 ± 1.25 mm against Staphylococcus aureus. This is the first report on the synthesis and its antibacterial activity of polyaniline/Ag–Pt nanocomposite.