Enhanced antibacterial activity and photo-remediation of toxic dyes using Ag/SWCNT/PPy based nanocomposite with core–shell structure

Water pollution has become a universal health problem due to frequently discharged toxic chemical effluents and contamination from pathogenic bacteria. Amidst all this, nanocomposites have gained wide interests owing to their promising application as photocatalysts and antibacterial agents. In the present study, hybrid Ag/SWCNT/PPy (Silver nanoparticles/Single-walled carbon nanotubes/Polypyrrole) based ternary nanocomposites were synthesized by applying facile and cost-effective one-pot synthesis approach. The morphological studies (SEM and TEM) revealed that the synthesized ternary nanocomposite possesses a core–shell type of structure where spherical Ag NPs anchored SWCNTs act as core and PPy formed a shell over it. The composites were also characterized by FTIR, XRD and UV. Ag/SWCNT/PPy was used as an efficient photocatalyst for degrading toxic organic dyes like RB (rose bengal) and MB (methylene blue). It showed high degradation rates of 91% and 89.3% against RB and MB dyes respectively within 100 min. of UV irradiation time. Owing to the synergistic effect of Ag NPs, SWCNTs and PPy, the synthesized ternary nanocomposite also inhibited the growth and multiplication of tested bacteria such as S. aureus, B. cereus, E. coli and P. aeruginosa completely within 24 h. Overall, Ag/SWCNT/PPy possesses a superior potential than Ag NPs and Ag/SWCNTs for their use in the development of photocatalysts and anti-bacterial agents, thereby paving a way for the treatment of wastewater and bio-remediation in near future.