Preparation, structural characteristics and dielectric studies of polyaniline/lead sulfide composite materials

In this study, composite films of lead sulfide nanoparticles (PbSNPs) and polyaniline (PANI) were fabricated for wearable electronic devices. The PbS/PANI samples were analyzed using FTIR, XRD, and SEM. Furthermore, the effects of PbSNPs on the dielectric impedance, electrical conductivity, complex modulus, and energy density of PANI were determined in the frequency range of 50–5 MHz. The FTIR and XRD confirmed the successful synthesis of PbS/PANI films. The SEM indicated homogeneous dispersion of PbS in PANI. Besides, the broadness and reduction of PANI in FTIR and XRD peaks intensity with increasing PbS is attributed to the intermolecular interactions of PANI and PbS and indicates the successful incorporation of PbS in PANI. The conductivity was enhanced from 7.39 × 10–8 S.cm−1 for PANI to 1.38 × 10–6 S.cm−1 for PANI/0.05PbS. The constant ε′\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$${\varepsilon }^{\mathrm{^{\prime}}}$$\end{document} was increased from 20 for PANI to 111 for PANI/0.05PbS. Moreover, the relaxation time τr\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$${\uptau }_{r}$$\end{document} of PANI was reduced from 9.68 × 10–6 s to 9.18 × 10–6, 6.43 × 10–6, and 5.98 × 10–6 s for PANI/0.01PbS, PANI/0.03PbS, and PANI/0.05PbS, respectively. In conclusion, the obtained data confirmed that incorporating PbSNPs inside PANI modified the dielectric properties of PANI/PbS films for use in energy storage devices.