The enhancement of electrical properties of TiO2/xCoFe2O4 nanocomposites for extended applications

Abstract

AbstractThe pure TiO2 and TiO2/xCoFe2O4 nanocomposites (0, 2, 4, and 6 wt. %) were synthesized using the sonomechanical method at room temperature. The prepared specimens were studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray techniques (EDX), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Raman spectroscopy, and ac conductivity measurements. The sample exhibited homogeneous and well-distributed spherical nanoparticles of visible surface edges with average grain size ranging from 100 to 200 nm, as shown in the SEM micrograph. Raman spectra analysis showed the characteristic band for TiO2 at 141.2, 233.08, 447.13, 609.55, and 639.4 cm−1. The FTIR confirmed the interaction of CoFe2O4 and TiO2 reflecting the successful formation of nanocomposites. Compared to pristine TiO2, both the dielectric constant (ε') and conductivity were boosted by the inclusion of CoFe2O4. The behavior of the exponent factor (S) with temperature demonstrates that the conduction mechanism is the correlated barrier hopping (CBH) mechanism. The investigation of complex electric modulus established that the vertiginous nanocomposite had a non-Debye-type relaxation. The observed properties prove that TiO2/ xCoFe2O4 (x = 0, 2, 4, and 6 wt. %) nanocomposites are very functional for electric storage applications.