Multifunctional P(Py/NMPy) copolymer doped by DBSA for electronic, photoelectric and biomedical applications

Abstract

Poly(N-methylpyrrole) (PNMPy) and Poly(Pyrrole/N-methylpyrrole) P(Py/NMPy) copolymer were prepared in an aqueous solution by interfacial polymerization in the presence of surfactive dopant dodecylbenzene sulphonic acid (DBSA). Structural, thermal, morphological and dielectric characterization studies were performed by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Fluorescence (FL), Thermogravimetric (TG), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM-EDS), Atomic Force Microscope (AFM), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area and LCR meter analyses. The antimicrobial activity of the samples was investigated by the Agar diffusion method. Characterization studies showed that both PNMPy and P(Py/NMPy) were semi-crystalline in nature, depending on the arrangement of methyl groups in the polymer chains and/or the DBSA doping. Also, due to the interaction between DBSA and polymer chains, the samples showed a significant FL emission intensity. In the surface analyses, phases of polymer matrix and DBSA were clearly observed. Dielectric analyses showed that the charge transport mechanisms of both samples are highly compatible with the correlated barrier hopping (CBH) model. The activation energies required for the hopping of the charge carriers in the PNMPy and P(Py/NMPy) chains were calculated as 0.23 and 0.17 eV, respectively. In antibacterial tests against the various bacteria species, PNMPy formed an inhibition zone between 26 and 29 mm, while the copolymer formed an inhibition zone between 29 and 32 mm. The results showed that P(Py/NMPy) copolymer is a multifunctional material that is very suitable for electronic and photoelectric applications, as well as biomedical ones relating to antibacterial agents, infection-resistant medical devices and florescent antibiotic probe.