Synthesis and Characterization of Polyaniline–Mn3O4 Nanocomposite: Electrical Conductivity and Magnetic Studies

Abstract

Polyaniline (PANI)–Mn3O4 nanocomposites (NCs) have been synthesized by in situ chemical oxidative polymerization of aniline with different molar ratios of aniline:Mn3O4 (3.3:1 and 2.5:1) using ammonium per sulfate as an oxidant in an aqueous solution of sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonic acid, as surfactant and dopant at 5 °C under N2 atmosphere. The structural components and the crystalline phase of the Mn3O4 nanoparticles (NPs) and PANI–Mn3O4 NCs were identified from Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction. The result of FTIR and TGA shows that the interaction between Mn3O4 particles and PANI matrix could improve the thermal stability of NCs. The room temperature electrical conductivity of the synthesized PANI, PANI-Mn3O4 NCs (3.3:1) and (2.5:1) was found to be 3.26 × 10−4, 8.11 × 10−7 and 3.93 × 10−7 S/cm respectively, indicating the decrease of conductivity with an increase of Mn3O4 content in PANI. The magnetic behavior of composite was studied at 5 K. The coercive force (Hc) and remnant magnetization (Mr) increases with increase in addition of Mn3O4 NPs in PANI matrix.