Polyaniline/TiO2 nanocomposite thin films prepared by microwave plasma

Abstract

Polyaniline (PANI) and PANI/TiO₂ nanocomposite thin films were prepared by microwave plasma. The TiO₂ powder of average particle size of 50 nm was used to prepare PANI/TiO₂ nanocomposite thin films. The PANI/TiO₂ nanocomposite thin films prepared by polymerization in plasma and characterized by UV-VIS, FTIR, AFM and SEM to study the effect of titanium oxide nanoparticles on the optical properties, morphology and structure of the thin films. The optical properties studies showed that the optical energy band gap of the PANI/TiO2 decreased systematically from 3.58 eV to 3.38 eV with increasing TiO₂ nanoparticles concentration from 1 to 5 wt%. The FTIR measurement showed a shifting in the FTIR absorption peaks with TiO2 concentration. AFM and SEM images indicated a uniform distribution of the TiO₂ nanoparticles in the PANI matrix. It can be concluded that PANI/TiO2 nanocomposite thin films with controlled optical energy band gap can be prepared by microwave plasma technique.