Superior photocatalytic and antibacterial activities of conducting ceramic TiO₂@poly(o-phenylenediamine) core–shell nanocomposites

In this study, conducting titania@poly(o-phenylenediamine) (TiO₂@PoPD) core–shell nanocomposite was prepared by chemical oxidative polymerization method. The core–shell structure of the as-prepared nanocomposite was confirmed by atomic force microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and field emission scanning electron microscopy techniques. The structure of the PoPD and TiO₂@PoPD core–shell nanocomposites were confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, ultra violet–visible diffusive reflectance spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction pattern and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy studies. The photocatalytic efficiency of the TiO₂@PoPD core shell nanocomposite was investigated by performing the photodegradation studies of acid orange 7 (AO7) dye under solar light irradiation. Admirable photodegradation efficiency against AO7 was achieved for TiO₂@PoPD core shell nanocomposite under solar irradiation. The antibacterial activity of the TiO₂@PoPD core shell nanocomposite was also investigated against two different pathogenic bacteria of Gram positive (Bacillus subtills) and Gram negative bacteria (Klebsiella pneumonia) by disc diffusion method. The present investigation concluded that, the TiO₂@PoPD core shell nanocomposite exhibits superior photocatalytic and antibacterial property than TiO₂ and PoPD materials.