Structural, Morphological, Optical and Dielectric Properties of Ternary PANI–ZnO–PPy Nanocomposite for Optoelectronic Applications

The ternary nanocomposite PANI–ZnO–PPy, which is composed of polyaniline (PANI), zinc oxide (ZnO) and polypyrrole (PPy) was effectively synthesized by in situ chemical oxidative polymerization technique using suitable oxidants to initiate the polymerization process in the monomers. The synthesized unary ZnO and ternary PANI–ZnO–PPy were characterized through various physico-chemical techniques. The semicrystalline nature and effective encapsulation of ZnO nanoparticles into the binary PANI–PPy matrix of PANI–ZnO–PPy was confirmed through XRD and FESEM analysis. The prominent vibrational bands of the functional groups present in ZnO and PANI–ZnO–PPy were detected through FTIR. The optical band gap value of ternary PANI–ZnO–PPy was found to be low compared to ZnO nanoparticles. Further, the dielectric properties and AC conductivity of binary matrix and ternary nanocomposite were investigated in the frequency range of 1 kHz to 1 MHz at room temperature. To ascertain the suitability of the materials in optoelectronic devices, the dielectric and conductivity studies were also analyzed in the temperature range of 30 °C to 150 °C. The studies revealed high dielectric constant and improved electrical conductivity of as-prepared PANI–ZnO–PPy nanocomposite compared to PANI–PPy matrix. From TGA, the substantial thermal stability exhibited by the synthesized ternary material further confirmed its high suitability for electronic device applications.