One-pot synthesis of polypyrrole/AgCl composite nanotubes and their antibacterial properties

Polypyrrole/silver chloride (PPy/AgCl) composite nanotubes have been successfully prepared via a reactive self-degrade template. By introducing ammonium peroxysulphate, AgNO3 and pyrrole monomer into the acidic methyl orange solution in sequence, AgCl nanoparticles could be uniformly distributed into the matrix of PPy nanotubes without aggregation in the one-pot reaction. The formation mechanism, morphology and structure of the nanocomposites were studied by transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectra and X-ray diffraction. The presented results suggest that the one-dimensional hollow PPy/AgCl nanocomposites have significant antibacterial activity. The conducting PPy/AgCl nanotube composites may be used to fabricate the antistatic coatings with an antibacterial property in potential applications.