Abstract:

ZnO–ZrO₂ nanocomposite was prepared by sol–gel method and in-situ polymerization was used to synthesize ZnO–ZrO₂ nanocomposite doped polyaniline (PANI). The materials were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) to ensure the crystallite size, functional groups, morphology and chemical composition of the polymer nanocomposite complex. The average particle size of the ZnO–ZrO₂ nanoparticles was found to be 20.5 nm. Thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) was used to study the thermal stability of the complex, shows improved thermal stability of polymer nanocomposite as compared to the pure organic polymer. The material also possesses good electrical conductivity. Additionally, the photocatalytic activity of the materials was investigated by monitoring the decolorization of Acid Blue 29 dye in a UV photocatalytic reactor and PANI–ZnO–ZrO₂ was found to possess higher photocatalytic activity than pure PANI. Finally, the antibacterial activity of the materials was examined and it was observed that PANI–ZnO–ZrO₂ could be used as an excellent antibacterial agent. Hence, desired properties could be integrated by mixing appropriate phases of the materials for specific applications such as heterogeneous catalyst, antibacterial agents, antibiotics delivery and high temperature conducting polymers.

Key words: Nanocomposites, Polyaniline, Electrical conductivity, Photocatalyst, Antibacterial agents