Camphor Sulfonic Acid Doped Polyaniline-Titanium Dioxide Nanocomposite: Synthesis, Structural, Morphological, and Electrical Properties

Abstract

A nanocomposite of polyaniline-titanium dioxide (PANi-TiO₂, 50 wt%) was doped with camphor sulfonic acid (CSA) by solid state reaction with increasing CSA content up to 50 wt% in a smooth agate mortar. CSA doped PANi-TiO₂ was dissolved in m-cresol and films were cast using a spin-coating technique. The doping effect of CSA on PANi-TiO₂ nanocomposite was characterized and evaluated by X-ray diffraction pattern (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and electrical conductivity measurement. The XRD spectra showed that the addition of CSA has no effect on crystallinity of PANi-TiO₂. SEM studies revealed that CSA has a strong effect on morphology of PANi-TiO₂. The FTIR spectra revealed the interaction between CSA and PANi-TiO₂ nanocomposite. Electrical conductivity measurements indicated that with the increasing content of CSA, the conductivity shows an orderly increase.

Keywords:

• CSA
• FTIR
• PANi-TiO₂ nanocomposite
• SEM
• XRD

Acknowledgments

The authors (VBP) are grateful to the Department of Science and Technology, New Delhi, for financial support through scheme No. SR/FTP/PS-09/2007.