Poly(N-methylpyrrole) with high antibacterial activity synthesized via interfacial polymerization method

Abstract

This study is on the antimicrobial activities of Poly(N-methylpyrrole) (PNMPy) samples which are synthesized by interfacial polymerization method for two different molar ratios (nNMPy/nDBSA=1/2 and 1/1) of dodecylbenzene sulfonic acid (DBSA) and N-methylpyrrole (NMPy). Structural and thermal characterization analyses of samples were carried out by Fourier Transform Infrared‐Attenuated Total Reflectance (FTIR‐ATR), Gel permeation chromatography (GPC), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fluorescence (FL) and Thermogravimetric (TG), while the surface morphologies, by Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), and electrical conductivity, by LCR meter measurements. The disc diffusion method was used for the antimicrobial activity tests. The change in the nNMPy/nDBSA molar ratio affected the fluorescence emission, thermal stability, surface morphology and electrical conductivity of the synthesized polymer. The antibacterial analysis showed that PNMPy samples produced a remarkable inhibition zone of 16 to 21 mm against both gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and gram-negative Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacterial species. In addition, the fluorescence quantum yields (φ) of 0.49 and 0.38 calculated for samples with a molar ratio of 1/2 and 1/1, respectively, show that PNMPy samples are highly suitable organic semiconductor materials for optoelectronic and photoelectric sensor applications as well as biomedical applications.