Electrical and magnetic properties of chitosan-magnetite nanocomposites

Magnetite powders in nanometer size have been synthesized by the hydrothermal process. Various magnetic films of chitosan and the synthesized magnetite nanopowders containing different concentrations of the latter were prepared by ultrasonication route. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) studies and the transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images showed that the synthesized magnetite particles had 80 nm dimensions. The band gap of the composites was evaluated using the UV-visible Spectroscopy. The influence of magnetite content on the magnetic properties of the composite showed a decrease in the saturation magnetization with the decrease in the magnetic content. The effect of magnetite content on the dielectric properties of the polymer film at different frequencies from 0.01 to 105 Hz was studied using an electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The possible mechanism for the observed electrical properties of the composite films was discussed. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.