Nickel doping effect on structure and ac conductivity of resorcinol formaldehyde/SiO2-Ni nanocomposites synthesized by sol–gel process

Abstract

The sol–gel synthesis of silica/carbon nanocomposite was modified with nickel in order to enhance the dispersion of silica nano-powder in the carbon matrix. The synthesized doped nanocomposite RF/SiO2-Ni5% (S-RF) is composed of carbon matrix based on resorcinol formaldehyde (RF) as observed in the X-ray diffraction patterns and by scanning electron microscopy characterization. The average sizes of the crystallite of the S-RF are presented in the 13–17 nm range. FTIR Spectroscopy analysis showed that the band at just about 1040 cm−1 is associated to vibrations of Si–O–Si. The addition of nickel improves the interaction between the matrix and the nanoparticles, which appears well at 1100 °C. Moreover, the influences of the doping of Ni in the S-RF nanocomposite were analyzed.