Dielectric properties and ac conductivity of CuO and Fe2O3 doped polycarbazole nanocomposites

Abstract

Abstract This paper presents results and discussion on dielectric and ac conductivity of Polycarbazole (PCz) and its PCz/CuO and PCz/Fe2O3 nanocomposites. Samples were prepared by oxidation method using ammonium persulfate as oxidizing agent. Samples were confirmed to be crystalline. Dielectric parameters are observed to be decreased with increase of frequency and temperature. Ac electrical conductivity of pure polycarbozole was found to be more than the composites. Further, conductivity increased with loading of metal oxide nanoparticles. The conductivity of all the samples is found to vary from 10-6 (Ωm)-1 to 10-4 (Ωm)-1 with the temperature (303K- 423K) and exhibited semiconducting nature. This has been ascribed to rise in the number of charge clusters inside polymer matrix with increase of metal oxide content and which in turn adds more polarons to the conduction band and, that increase conductivity. Activation energy for conduction is determined to vary from 1.07 meV to 6.17 meV for PCz/CuO systems and 0.82 meV to 4.06 meV for PCz/Fe2O3 composites. It is for the first time that Polycarbazole and Polycarbazole metal oxide doped nanocomposites have been studied for dielectric properties and ac conductivity over wide a range of frequency and temperature and analyzed data with respect to frequency, temperature and metal oxide content.