Thermal and Electrical Study of Polypyrrole and TiO2/Polypyrrole Composite

The present study explores the thermal and electrical properties of polypyrrole (PPy) and TiO2-doped PPy (TiO2/PPy) composite. The chemical oxidative polymerization method was used to synthesize the PPy and TiO2/PPy composite (in-situ approach was used for doping). The synthesized samples were characterized by experimental techniques, viz. differential scanning calorimetric (DSC) and IV characteristics to investigate the thermal and electrical properties. DSC revealed that the TiO2/PPy composite has higher glass transition and melting temperature than bare PPy suggesting that the composite is more thermally stable. Additionally, TiO2/PPy composite has enhanced electrical conduction compared to bare PPy. This signifies that the interfacial interaction between TiO2 and PPy provides a smooth path for the transfer of charges from one site to another. Hence, the thermal and electrical properties significantly enhance with the formation of TiO2/PPy composite compared to bare PPy.