Fabrication of Polypyrrole/Graphene Oxide Polymer Nanocomposites and Evaluation of their Optical Behavior for Optoelectronic Applications

PPy/GO composite materials formed of graphene oxide nanosheets and polypyrrole (PPy) were effectively prepared by polymerization fabrication method for optical energy applications. The measurements of TEM, XRD, SEM, FT-IR, and XPS showed that PPy/GO composites were successfully synthesized. The nanosheets GO were homogeneously joined into PPy as recorded by SEM images. TEM recorded that the GO nanosheets have different sizes ranging from 5 to 35 nm. The optical parameters, including the absorption edge, band gap, number of carbon clusters, and Urbach energies, were assessed by the UV-Vis method. The band gap reduced of 1.84 for PPy to 1.77 and 1.72 eV for PPy/GO-II and PPy/GO-III, and the absorption edge decreased from 1.78 for PPy to 1.60 and 1.50 eV, respectively. The optical susceptibility and refractive index were deduced for PPy and PPy/Go. Comparing the PPy/Go composites to pure PPy revealed a considerable enhancement in optical conductivity and the number of carbon clusters for PPy/Go. The outcomes of this research is the fabrication of potential flexible polymeric nanocomposite films with innovative physico-chemical properties for high-performance optoelectronics devices.

Automated summary

PPy/GO composites formed by graphene oxide nanosheets and polypyrrole (PPy) were successfully synthesized for optical energy applications. The nanosheets of GO were uniformly incorporated into PPy, as confirmed by SEM images. The optical parameters, such as absorption edge, band gap, number of carbon clusters, and Urbach energies, were evaluated using UV-Vis method. The results showed that the PPy/GO composites exhibited a reduced band gap and absorption edge compared to pure PPy. Additionally, the composites demonstrated enhanced optical conductivity and the number of carbon clusters. The findings of this research highlight the potential of producing flexible polymeric nanocomposite films with innovative physico-chemical properties for high-performance optoelectronics devices.