Characterization and Evaluation of Activation Energy for Dc Conductivity of Polypyrrole/Nickel Zinc Iron Oxide Nanocomposites

Abstract

Polymer nanocomposites of Polypyrrole and Nickel zinc iron oxide (NiZnFe 2 O 4) are prepared by in-situ polymerisation using Ammonium persulphate as oxidising agent. Various nanocomposites have been prepared by varying the level of additive material NiZnFe 2 O 4. The formation of nanocomposites and changes in the structural and microstructural properties were investigated by using XRD, FTIR, and SEM analysis. The size of the particle was analysed by XRD using Scherrer equation and found to be in the range of 15nm-20nm. The lattice parameters were evaluated by W-H plots. DC conductivity has been measured in which activation energy (Ea) of the composites has been evaluated. Activation energies were evaluated from Arrhenius plots for all compositions. Results show that the incorporation of additive material increases the activation energy 'Ea' for the DC conductivity of the composites, compared to the base polymer. The increase in the activation energy 'Ea' is found to depend on the level of the additive in the composites. Significant increase (196%) in DC conductivity was observed for nanocomposite of 50 wt.%. Therefore such polymer nanocomposites find applications in microwave absorbers, sensors, electromagnetishielding etc.,