Synthesis, electrical transport and optical properties of polyaniline-zirconium nanocomposite

Here, we report the synthesis of polyaniline-zirconium nanocomposite by chemical oxidative polymerization of aniline. Structural, thermal, and morphological properties of the samples are characterized by XRD, FTIR, TGA, SEM, and UV-Vis spectroscopy. Crystalline behavior of the nanocomposite has been obtained due to the presence of zirconium nanoparticles in polyaniline. FTIR analysis reveals the formation of polyaniline and changes to the structure of polyaniline due to the presence of zirconium nanoparticles. Granular morphology of the nanocomposite has been obtained from SEM micrographs and its conductivity has been increased due to the incorporation of zirconium nanoparticles. Temperature dependence of the resistivity has been fitted with ln [ρ(T)] ∝ T−1/4 which indicates three dimensional variable range hopping transport mechanism. ac conductivity follows the correlated barrier hopping transport mechanism. Some optical parameters like bandgap (Eg), peak transition energy (E0), and peak broadening parameter (C) are evaluated from real and imaginary dielectric functions. The value of the bandgap indicates the formation of a polaron lattice structure of the protonated emeraldine form of polyaniline.