Effect of the ZnFe2O4 shell in Fe3O4 on the properties of its nanocomposites with P3HT

Abstract

The coating of the nanoparticles (Nps), in addition to avoiding their agglomeration and degradation in the different media used, provides them with new properties and, therefore, also to the nanocomposite obtained. In this work, new hybrid nanocomposites based on poly(3-hexylthiophene) with Nps of Fe3O4 or Fe3O4@ZnFe2O4 core@shell are synthesized and characterized. Fe3O4 Nps are obtained by the chemical bath deposition method, while Fe3O4@ZnFe2O4 core@shell Nps are synthesized by wet chemistry by deposition of ZnO on the surface of Fe3O4 Nps. P3HT/Fe3O4 and P3HT/Fe3O4@ZnFe2O4 nanocomposites are obtained by in-situ synthesis of P3HT by the Grignard metathesis method (GRIM) in the presence of different concentrations of the Nps (3HT/Fe3O4 or 3HT/Fe3O4@ZnFe2O4 weight ratio: 1/0.01 and 1/0.02). The incorporation of Fe3O4 and Fe3O4@ZnFe2O4 in the P3HT polymeric matrix is corroborated by FTIR. With the incorporation of both nanoparticles (Fe3O4 and Fe3O4@ZnFe2O4) to P3HT, the roughness increased, and the absorbance was increased depending on the concentration of the particles. The presence of Fe3O4@ZnFe2O4 core@shell Nps in P3HT increases the decomposition temperature, and the photoconductivity. On the other hand, the electrochemical characterization shows an increase in the cycle area when incorporating Fe3O4@ZnFe2O4 in P3HT. The P3HT/Fe3O4@ZnFe2O4 nanocomposites obtained in this work present interesting optoelectronic properties to be applied in different optoelectronic devices.