Synthesis of graphene nanoplatelets/polythiophene nanocomposites With Enhanced Photocatalytic Degradation of Bromophenol Blue and Antibacterial Properties

Polythiophene (PTh) and graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) nanocomposites with different ratio of GNPs (10-50 wt. %) were prepared by oxidative chemical polymerization technique and applied for the photocatalytic degradation of bromo phenol blue (BPB) and pathogen control. The as-prepared nanomaterials were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-Ray analysis (EDX), UV-Vis spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. The PTh-GNPs(50) achieved the highest photocatalytic degradation efficiency for BPB (94.1%) which was more than three times higher than that of the pristine PTh (31.3%). The enhanced photocatalytic activity of PTh-GNPs was attributed to the improved chargetransport and longer recombination time of e-/h+ pairs from PTh NPs to GNPs. Interestingly, PTh-GNPs(50) proved as a potent inhibitor against E.coli and S.aureus reported 18 mm zone of inhibition as compared to that of the control PTh (showing 9 mm and 5 mm zones of inhibition for the two strains, respectively) at 2000 mu g/mL. These results make PTh-GNPs(50) nanocomposites a potential candidate for BPB removal and bacterial growth inhibition.

Automated summary

The PTh-GNPs(50) nanocomposites prepared by oxidative chemical polymerization technique showed high photocatalytic degradation efficiency for BPB and potent inhibition against E.coli and S.aureus, making them a potential candidate for both pollutant removal and bacterial growth inhibition.