A Comparative Analysis of Structural, Optical and Electrical Properties of Polyaniline/Ferrite (Co, Ni, Cu, Zn) Composites

Abstract

Considering the magnificent optical and electric properties of polyaniline (PANI), in this study, PANI, PANI/MFe2O4(M=Co, Ni, Cu, and Zn) composites were studied. Polyaniline and their composites with ferrites were prepared via chemical oxidation method. Ferrites were synthesized through co-precipitation method. Structural properties were investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) respectively. Their results reveal the semi-crystalline nature of synthesized materials with the crystallite size in the range of 21.78 to 37.20 nm. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) analysis also confirmed the formation of all the nano-sized synthesized composites. In the UV–vis analysis, the optical band gap of composites is reducing upto 1.01 eV for PANI-cobalt ferrite as compared to pure PANI (2.38 eV). The inclusions of ferrites particles have caused an enhancement in electrical conductivity of pure PANI. It is 3*10−4 S cm−1 at high frequency for PANI and increased upto 5*10−4 S cm−1 for PANI-Zinc Ferrite composite. The investigated data shows the enhanced optical and electric properties of PANI/ferrites composites to a great extent, making them promising materials for different applications.