Synthesis, Characterization and Applications of Poly (2-Methyl Aniline-co-2-Chloro Aniline) and Poly (2-Methyl Aniline-co-2-Chloro Aniline)-Nanocomposite-CuO

Abstract

The copolymer and its composite, poly (2-methyl aniline-co-2-chloro aniline) and poly (2-methyl aniline-co-2-chloro aniline)-nanocomposite-CuO respectively were synthesized by chemical oxidative polymerization method using ammonium persulphate as oxidant, sodium lauryl sulphate as surfactant and HCl as dopant. The synthesized copolymer and composite were characterized by FTIR, UV-Visible and ¹H NMR spectroscopy. The thermal stability was determined by TGA/DTA. The copolymer and copolymer nanocomposite with CuO were found to be thermally more stable and the XRD pattern confirmed the partially crystalline nature. The particle size as calculated by Debye-Scherrer equation confirmed that nanocomposite was formed. The electrical conductivity studies show that the materials synthesized were of semi conducting nature. The antibacterial activities were also tested using ciprofloxacin as the standard. With the copolymer, Escherichia coli showed a maximum zone of inhibition of 12 mm followed by Enterococcus faecalis whose zone of inhibition is 10 mm. The other strains showed less antibacterial activity. The presence of chlorine contributed to significant antibacterial activity