Polypyrrole coated tin oxide nanocomposite: an efficient dye adsorbent and microbial disinfectant

Abstract

The present study was aimed to synthesize polypyrrole coated tin oxide (PPy/SnO2) nanocomposite in order to be effectively used as nanoadsorbent for the removal of Acid Blue 62 anionic dye and antibacterial agent for the disinfection of Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and gram-negative Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria. The nanoadsorbent was fabricated by the polymerization of pyrrole in the presence of SnO2 nanoparticles and further characterized using Fourier Transform Infrared, x-ray diffraction, and Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy. The adsorption behavior of PPy/SnO2 nanocomposite for the removal of Acid Blue 62 was studied in a batch system with pH of solution, adsorbate–adsorbent contact time, dose of adsorbent, Acid Blue 62 dye concentration, and temperature considered as the main system parameters. The Langmuir adsorption isotherm was found to have the highest consistency with the equilibrium experimental data rendering maximum adsorption capacity of 75.102 mg g−1. The disk diffusion tests were applied to evaluate the ability of PPy/SnO2 for E. coli and S. aureus eradication; based on the obtained results, it was revealed that PPy/SnO2 provides exceptional disinfection ability for both bacteria, specifically S. aureus (inhibition zone diameter of 21.3 mm).