Synthesis and characterization of polyaniline-nickel chloride composites

Abstract

NiCl2/polyaniline composites with varying NiCl2 concentration have been synthesized and characterized for structural and optical modifications in polyaniline with the addition of NiCl2, and to explore the effect of addition of NiCl2 on the electrical properties of polyaniline. FTIR spectral peaks attributed to various entities present in polyaniline have been shifted towards longer wavelengths with the addition of NiCl2. The d-spacing for the two x-ray diffraction peaks at 20.30° and 26.22° has been determined by using the Bragg’s relation and found to decrease with the addition of NiCl2. The SEM images of the composites indicate the uniform dispersal of the salt in the polymeric conformation. The band edge of UV-VIS spectra of the composites has been found to blue shift indicating increase in the band gaps with the increased NiCl2 concentration except for a concentration of 5%. The capacitance has been found to decrease with increase in frequency and the increase in the NiCl2 content. The resistance has been found to increase with the addition of NiCl2 thus establishing a positive correlation between the optical band gap and variations of resistance with the addition of NiCl2 to the polyaniline.