Synthesis of Conducting Polypyrrole-Titanium Oxide Nanocomposite: Study of Structural, Optical and Electrical Properties

Optical and electronic properties of hybrid Polypyrrole (Ppy)-Titanium oxide (TiO2) nanocomposite, synthesized using oxidative chemical polymerization method have been investigated here. The synthesized organic-inorganic hybrid materials have been characterized using XRD, FT-IR, FESEM, UV-Vis, Raman, and TGA. Electrical conductance and dielectric behavior of the electrical phenomena of the sample have also been investigated. XRD results demonstrate the amorphous nature of Ppy, however, its composites with TiO2 exhibit crystalline nature. FT-IR spectroscopy reveals the presence of interaction between conducting Ppy and TiO2. UV-Vis study show changes in spectra of Ppy in presence of TiO2 with a slight increase in the band gap. The SEM results reveal encapsulation of TiO2 particles in Ppy matrix and agglomeration of grains have also been observed with evident changes in morphology with increasing percentages of TiO2. TGA data indicates that the composite materials show good thermal stability. Conductance results show that electrical conductivity of Ppy increases upon addition of TiO2. It has also been noticed that the dielectric parameters (dielectric constant, loss tangent) of Ppy vary with addition of TiO2. The resulting insight clearly suggests that by embedding TiO2 in Ppy the electrical properties of the composites can be improved.