Nanocrystalline nickel ferrite reinforced conducting polyaniline nanocomposites

Nanocrystalline Nickel Ferrite Reinforced Conducting Polyaniline Nanocomposites

Subhash B. Kondawar^1*, Arti I. Nandapure², Bharti I. Nandapure¹

¹Department of Physics, R.T.M. Nagpur University, Nagpur 440033, India

²B. D. College of Engineering, Sevagram, Wardha 442001, India

Adv. Mater. Lett., 2014, 5 (6), pp 339-344

DOI: 10.5185/amlett.2014.amwc.1035

Publication Date (Web): Mar 23, 2014

E-mail: sbkondawar@yahoo.co.in

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Abstract

Nanocrystalline nickel ferrite (NiFe₂O₄) powder of crystallite size ~20 nm was synthesized by refluxing method. Electrically conductive polyaniline-nickel ferrite (PANI/NiFe₂O₄) nanocomposites have been synthesized by an in-situ polymerization of aniline monomer in the presence of as-prepared NiFe₂O₄ in different weight percentage (5%, 10%, and 15%). These nanocomposites were subsequently characterized for morphological, crystalline, structural, electrical and magnetic properties by Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Four Probe Resistivity (FPR) and Vibrating Sample Magnetometer (VSM). Existence of NiFe₂O₄ in the nanocomposites was confirmed by XRD, FTIR and TEM analysis. The change in morphology with crystallite size ? 50 nm was observed for the nanocomposites clearly indicate the coating of PANI on NiFe₂O₄ . Nanocomposites showed increase in saturation magnetization as compared to that of PANI and increase in electrical conductivity as compared to that of NiFe₂O₄ indicating the synergistic effect of individual components. The saturation magnetization drastically increased as nickel ferrite content changed from 5 to 15% in nanocomposites. The conductivity of nanocomposites increased with temperature, exhibiting typical semiconductor behavior. The nanocomposites show semiconducting and ferromagnetic behaviour. The electrical conductivity of nanocomposites decreased from 1.089 to 0.268 S/cm, but saturation magnetization increased from 0.97 to 2.803 emu/g, when ferrite content changed from 5 to 15 wt%, indicates such nanocomposites are good for electromagnetic devices.