Preparing of Bacterial Cellulose/Polypyrrole-Zinc Oxide Nanocomposite Film and Studying its Physicomechanical, Antimicrobial and Antioxidant Properties

In this research, polypyrrole (PPy) and polypyrrole-zinc oxide (PPy-ZnO) nanocomposites were synthesized by chemical method on the bacterial cellulose film in the presence of Iron chloride ΙΙΙ. The size, shape and morphology of the synthesized particles were studied using scanning electron microscopy. The results showed that the polypyrrole particles (60-150 nm) are spherical in shape, while the nanoparticles of polypyrrole-Zinc oxide are granular in shape and are in the range of 30-120 nm. Mechanical properties including, strain to break and tensile strength and antimicrobial-antifungal properties, as well as antioxidant properties and electrical conductivity of the films were studied. The results showed that the addition of polypyrrole decreased the electrical resistance, resulting in an increase in the electrical current of the film. The addition of nanoparticles reduced the mechanical properties and decreased the tensile strength. The inhibitory power of free radicals of the film increased with the addition of zinc oxide. The synthesis and increase of the polypyrrole synthesis time on a cellulose film had a positive effect on the antimicrobial and antifungal properties of films, but zinc oxide nanoparticles were more effective on antifungal properties.