Electrical and dielectric properties of polyaniline and polyaniline/montmorillonite nanocomposite prepared by solid reaction using spectroscopy impedance

Abstract

The combination of two components with uniform distribution in nanoscale is expected to facilitate wider applications of the material. In this study, polyaniline (PAn) and polyaniline/montmorillonite (Mt) nanocomposite were prepared by solid reaction using persulfate of ammonium as oxidant. The phase composition and morphology of the nanocomposite were characterized by FTIR, UV-visible spectroscopy, X-ray diffractometer, thermal gravimetric analysis, and scanning electron microscopy. The electrical and dielectric properties were determined using spectroscopy impedance. The analysis of UV-visible and FTIR spectroscopy demonstrated that aniline chloride has been polymerized into PAn in its conducting emeraldine form. Thermogravimetric analysis suggested that PAn chains intercalated in the clay host are more thermally stable than those of free PAn prepared by solid-solid reaction. Electrical measurements were carried out using the complex impedance technique in the frequency range of 10-2 to 104 Hz at different temperatures. The ac conductivity data of different nanocomposites were analyzed as a function of frequency and temperature. It has been found that the incorporation of inorganic clay phase into polyaniline matrix has an effect on the electrical and dielectric properties of the nanomaterial.