The synthesis and study of structural, optical and electrical behaviours of tin oxide / polyaniline ($$\hbox {SnO}_{2}/\hbox {PANI}$$) nanocomposites

Abstract

A series of tin oxide $$(\hbox {SnO}_{2})/\hbox {polyaniline}$$ (PANI) nanocomposites with loading of different wt% of PANI were synthesised using a solution-based processing method for improving the structural and physical properties of tin oxide. The effect of PANI loading on the gross structure, surface morphology, optical properties and electrical properties of $$\hbox {SnO}_{2}/\hbox {PANI}$$ nanocomposites was investigated. The scanning electron micrographs (SEM) show congruent dispersal of PANI in the tin oxide matrix where the gross / average structure is unchanged as revealed by powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD). A slight change in the lattice parameter of the pristine rutile crystalline structure $$\hbox {SnO}_{2}$$ and its nanocomposites has been recorded. However, the crystallite size has been found to decrease from 60 to 40 nm with different wt% loading of PANI. The presence of characteristic Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) peaks dovetail to C–H, $$\hbox {C}{=}\hbox {C}$$ , $$\hbox {NH}_{2}$$ , C–C and the energy-dispersive analysis of X-rays (EDAX) confirm the development of the PANI nanocomposite. Photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopic study shows the gradual decrement in the intensity of the emission peak at 611 nm due to the disappearance of surface defects associated with oxygen vacancies. The uniform dispersion of PANI at the nanoscale significantly enhanced the electrical properties, e.g. four orders of magnitude changes in electrical conductivity and carrier mobility.