Abstract
Herein, this work ultrathin CuO nanosheets were synthesized by simple microwave-assisted route. The CuO nanosheets were further fabricated with polyaniline (Pani) by oxidative polymerization methodology in the presence of citric acid and potassium persulphate to finally get Pani@CuO nanocomposite. Thus, prepared CuO nanosheets, Pani and Pani@CuO nanocomposite were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy for the morphological and X-ray diffraction (XRD) for the structural analysis. The morphological study by SEM showed ultrathin sheets of thickness < 10 nm and the dimensions of several nanometers ranging from ~ 200 to 600 nm. The Pani@CuO nanocomposite showed Pani covering the CuO sheets as well as bulk Pani deposited at different places on CuO. The addition of CuO resulted in non-observance of the tubular structure of Pani, thereby suggesting a strong interaction between Pani and CuO. The XRD analysis also showed the presence of peaks corresponding to Pani and CuO, which also indicates the successful formation of the Pani@CuO nanocomposite. The DC electrical conductivity retention studies by isothermal and cyclic aging studies showed much higher conductivity and stability under aging conditions for Pani@CuO which might be due to the stabilization as well as an increase in the mobility of charge carriers due to CuO. Additionally, we found that composite material Pani@CuO nanosheet has significant antimicrobial property against the medically important pathogen, i.e.,
Bacillus subtilis
and
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
. Contact killing of the pathogens in the presence of composite material was confirmed by scanning electron microscopy and growth parameter. Overall, the synthesized composite material of Pani@CuO might be used for medical device and instrument preparation.