Structural and AC conductivity of polyaniline doped nickle oxide nanocomposites

In this work, we have investigated the influence of polyaniline on the structural and electrical properties of polyaniline-nickel oxide (PANI-NiO) nanocomposites prepared by in-situ chemical polymerization. The experimental procedure involved the synthesis of Polyaniline (PANI) and their composites with varying weight percentages of NiO nanoparticles using an in-situ polymerization route. The structure of NiO@PANI nanocomposites was verified using the X-ray diffraction technique. It was observed that NiO exhibited a single-crystalline structure, whereas PANI displayed a non-crystalline structure. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed spherical NiO and granular PANI, both with homogeneous distribution, and increased polymer content resulted in more porosity. The measured values of dielectric constant, dielectric loss, and AC conductivity decreased as frequency and temperature increased. The optimum presence of conductive PANI with nickel oxide in a composite is responsible for the increase in AC electrical conductivity. The prepared composite material behaves as a semiconductor and may be helpful for charge storage devices and related field applications.