Emerging poly(Ani-co-Py)/Bi₂O₃/AgI composites for antibacterial and antioxidant applications

Poly(Ani-co-Py) was synthesized using aniline (Ani) and pyrrole (Py) and its composites poly(Ani-co-Py)/Bi₂O₃/AgI composites were fabricated with the extent of Bi₂O₃ and AgI maintaining 5 to 15 wt% ratio. FESEM analysis displayed that the freshly prepared copolymers and composites exhibited aggregated and spherical-shaped morphology with diameter 200–300 nm and 50–300 nm, respectively. The EDS data revealed the incorporation of both Bi₂O₃ and AgI in the composite samples. These poly(Ani-co-Py) and poly(Ani-co-Py)/Bi₂O₃/AgI composites were used to investigate their antibacterial properties using the resazurine-assisted microtiter plate-based antibacterial test. In the investigation, both the copolymers and composites exhibited antibacterial properties against Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis bacteria. Further, poly(Ani-co-Py) and Poly(Ani-co-Py)/Bi₂O₃/AgI composites with in vitro antioxidant activity was assessed by using free radical (α,α-diphenyl-β-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging assay. The synthesized copolymers and composites exhibited IC₅₀ value around 38.74 and 41.70–42.60 µg/mL, respectively indicating their better antioxidant properties. This poly(Ani-co-Py)/Bi₂O₃/AgI composites could be an emerging materials in the area of antimicrobial and antioxidant activity.