Abstract
The present report deals with the synthesis, characterization and testing of an ethyl cellulose–calcium(II) hydrogen phosphate (EC–CaHPO
4
) composite, where a sol–gel synthesis method was applied for the preparation of the composite so as to test its efficacy towards the electrochemical, biological, and adsorption related applications. The physical properties of the composite were characterized by using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), ultraviolet– visible (UV–Vis) spectroscopy, and fourier transform-infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. On testing, the mechanical properties indicated that the composite is highly stable due to the cross-linked rigid framework and the enhanced interactions offered by the EC polymer supported for its binding very effectively. In addition, the conductivity of EC–CaHPO
4
is completely governed by the transport mechanism where the electrolyte concentration has preference towards the adsorption of ions and the variations in the conductivity significantly affected the material’s performance. We observed an increasing order of KCl > NaCl for the conductivity when 1:1 electrolytes were applied. Further, the material was tested for its usefulness towards the purification of industrial waste waters by removing harmful metal ions from the samples collected near the Aligarh city, India where the data indicates that the material has highest affinity towards Pb
2+
, Cu
2+
, Ni
2+
and Fe
3+
metal ions. Finally, the biological efficiency of the material was confirmed by means of testing the antibacterial activity against two gram positive (
staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus thuringiensis
) and two gram negative bacteriums (
Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Patoea dispersa
). Thus, from the cumulative study of outcomes, it indicates that the EC–CaHPO
4
composite found to serve as a potential smart biomaterial due to its efficiency in many different applications that includes the electrical conductivity, adsorption capability, and antimicrobial activity.