One-pot synthesis of polypyrrole/AgCl composite nanotubes and their antibacterial properties

Polypyrrole/silver chloride (PPy/AgCl) composite nanotubes have been successfully prepared via a reactive self-degrade template. By introducing ammonium peroxysulphate, AgNO₃ and pyrrole monomer into the acidic methyl orange solution in sequence, AgCl nanoparticles could be uniformly distributed into the matrix of PPy nanotubes without aggregation in the one-pot reaction. The formation mechanism, morphology and structure of the nanocomposites were studied by transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectra and X-ray diffraction. The presented results suggest that the one-dimensional hollow PPy/AgCl nanocomposites have significant antibacterial activity. The conducting PPy/AgCl nanotube composites may be used to fabricate the antistatic coatings with an antibacterial property in potential applications.