Abstract
ABSTRACTIn this study, we created antimicrobial membranes by grafting aminated poly(1,4‐phenylene ether ether sulfone) (APEES) with silver‐doped titanium dioxide nanoparticles (AgTiO2 NPs) and reduced oxidized single‐wall carbon nanotube‐graphene oxide r(OXSWCNT‐GO) nanocomposites to combat membrane biofouling, which is a major challenge in membrane technology. APEES was prepared by nitrating PEES and then reducing it to increase its hydrophilicity. Scanning electron microscopy, energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy, Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy, and X‐ray diffraction spectroscopy were used to characterize the membranes. The antimicrobial properties of the tested membranes were found to be effective against gram‐negative bacteria, specifically Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli. The APEES–AgTiO2 and APEES–AgTiO2–r(OXSWCNT‐GO) nanocomposites showed larger inhibition zones than the polymers lacking Ag/TiO2. The APEES–AgTiO2 nanocomposite showed a maximum inhibition zone of 13 mm compared to the other polymers. Docking investigations confirmed these findings, revealing a strong fit of the tested polymer nanocomposites into DNA gyrase B (PDB ID: 4uro). The APEES–AgTiO2 nanocomposite had the highest docking score of −5.2728 kcal/mol, which corresponded with the observed antibacterial activity during practical testing.
Published Version
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