Polythiophene, polypyrrole-NiO ternary hybrid nanocomposites: structural, morphological, dielectric and electrical properties

Herein, we are reporting the synthesis of polythiophene, polypyrrole, and reinforced nickel oxide (NiO) hybrid nanocomposites by an in-situ chemical oxidative polymerization of thiophene and pyrrole in the presence of NiO nanoparticles. The polymerized nanocomposites were thoroughly characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD) studies, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The concentration of polymer-NiO hybrids varied between different ratios of PTh, PPy and NiO contents. A maximum dielectric constant of ≈ 1×10⁶ was observed at a higher ratio of polymer-filler contents. The PTh-PPy-NiO hybrid nanocomposite structure and crystallinity were verified by X-ray diffraction (XRD), and the FTIR approach demonstrated a robust interaction between PTh, PPy, and NiO particles. The surface morphology analysis revealed that NiO particles were successfully integrated with PTh, PPy during the polymerization process by forming a network. The dielectric constant values of the resultant nanocomposites were obtained from capacitance measurements. The dielectric constant for the higher concentration ratio of polymer-NiO hybrids was much higher than that of the pristine PTh, PPy matrix. A significant increase in dielectric loss and AC conductivity was observed for the higher concentration of PTh-PPy-NiO ternary nanocomposites. These PTh-PPy-NiO hybrid nanocomposites can potentially be useful in developing high-performance composite materials in the electronic field.

Graphical abstract

Herein, we are reporting the synthesis of polythiophene, polypyrrole, and reinforced nickel oxide (NiO) hybrid nanocomposites by an in-situ chemical oxidative polymerization of thiophene and pyrrole in the presence of NiO nanoparticles. The concentration of polymer-NiO hybrids varied between different ratios of PTh, PPy, and NiO contents. A maximum dielectric constant of ≈ 1×10⁶ was observed at a higher ratio of polymer-filler contents. The dielectric constant for the higher concentration ratio of polymer-NiO hybrids was much higher than that of the pristine PTh, PPy matrix. A significant increase in dielectric loss and AC conductivity was observed for the higher concentration of PTh-PPy-NiO ternary nanocomposites. These PTh-PPy-NiO hybrid nanocomposites can potentially help develop high-performance composite materials in the electronic field.