Innovative Synthesis of PANI/Cu2O Nanocomposite and Its Antibacterial Properties**

To fight various bacteria-caused inflammations and overcome drug resistance, the present work develops a simple in-situ growth method to synthesize Cu2O nanoparticles involved nanocomposite using polyaniline (PANI) matrix. The morphology of the as prepared composite was characterized by Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and X-ray Diffraction Spectroscopy (XRD), and the molecular structure was identified using Fourier-Transforms Infrared FT-IR, X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), and UV-Visible Spectroscopy (UV-Vis). The antibacterial properties of PANI/Cu2O nanocomposite were tested against Escherichia coli (E. coli), Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), and Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). The combination of PANI and Cu2O indicated a synergistic antibacterial effect. The analysis of the antimicrobial mechanism revealed that the positive charge released from the nanocomposite takes the main responsibility. This work provides new ideas for the design of metal oxide and polymer nanocomposites and the development of antibiotics.