Effects of Contents of Multiwall Carbon Nanotubes in Polyaniline Films on Optical and Electrical Properties of Polyaniline

Abstract

We investigate the effects of different contents of multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) on optical and electrical properties of polyaniline (PANI). The MWCNTs/PANI composites are deposited on glass substrates coated with indium tin oxide (ITO) by the spin-coating technique. The scanning electron microscopy shows that nanotubes are coated with the PANI layer and x-ray diffraction patterns show that all deposited composite films have an amorphous character. The analysis of a UV-vis spectrophotometer indicates the blue shift of the absorbance peak and a decrease in optical band gap value by the enhancement of the CNT content in the PANI matrix while the Urbach energy increases. The Raman spectrum shows the blue shift 1404→1417 cm−1 and photoluminescence spectra show an increase in the intensity of characteristic PANI peak at 436 nm with the increasing CNT content.