Enhanced inactivation of Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli using conjugated polyindole polymer nanoparticles under visible light irradiation

The areas of environmental cleanup and bacteria inactivation are particularly interesting in polymer-based nanomaterials because of their unique physicochemical properties. Conjugated polymer nanoparticles (CP NPs) have potential uses in the biological and environmental, but little is known about them. This study aimed to examine the efficacy of CP nanoparticles in the photocatalytic inactivation of S. aureus and E. coli under visible irradiation (λ ≤ 420 nm), with minor enhancements observed. The simple and one-step chemical oxidation technique was used to prepare CP nanoparticles. X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), Scanning electron microscope (SEM), Energy-dispersive X-ray (EDS), and Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analyses were utilized to characterize the physicochemical properties of CP nanoparticles for comprehensive structural analysis. The synthesized CP nanoparticles exhibited outstanding photocatalytic disinfection capabilities, achieving a degradation of 98.6%. This research not only provides insights into the physical characteristics of CP nanoparticles but also illustrates their antibacterial efficacy against two different bacterial pathogens, namely S. aureus and E. coli. Therefore, this research highlights an eco-friendly and inexpensive preparation of conjugated polymer nanoparticles for a wide range of applications.