Electrical conductivity and dielectric spectroscopic studies of PVA-Ag nanocomposite films

Poly(vinyl alcohol)-silver (PVA-Ag) nanocomposite films were prepared by the soft chemical route. Effect of concentration of embedded Ag nanoparticles on conductivity and dielectric relaxation behaviour of these nanocomposite films has been studied. An increase in dc conductivity from 1.38 x 10(-11) to 9.17 x 10(-11) S/cm and decrease in frequency dependent dielectric constant (from 1.74 to 1.07 at 75 kHz) are observed with the increase in concentration of Ag nanoparticles in PVA from 0 to 1.32 wt%. The values of ac conductivity and polarization relaxation time, deduced from dielectric data, also corroborate towards the enhanced conducting behaviour of PVA matrix with increase in the concentration of embedded Ag nanoparticles. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.