Optical and electrical studies of polyaniline/ZnO nanocomposite

Abstract

Polyaniline (Pani)/ZnO nanocomposite with diameter 40-50 nm was successfully fabricated by coprecipitation method of ZnO via in situ polymerization of Pani. X-ray diffraction (XRD), high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), fourier transformation infrared (FT-IR), UV-Vis absorption spectra, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and electrical properties were studied. HRTEM studies showed that the prepared ZnO nanoparticles were uniformly dispersed and highly stabilized throughout the polymer chain and formed uniform metal oxide-conducting polymer nanocomposite material. UV-Vis spectra of Pani/ZnO nanocomposite were studied to investigate the optical behavior after doping the ZnO nanoparticle into the polymer matrix. The inclusion of ZnO nanoparticle gives rise to the red shift of π-π transition of Pani. The nanocomposite was found to be thermally stable upto 130°C and showed conductivity value of 3.0 × 10 - 2 Scm-1. © 2013 Manawwer Alam et al.