Effect of Polarization and Temperature on Activation Energy of ZnO/Polypyrrole Nanocomposite Film

Abstract

The electrical properties of zinc oxide (ZnO)-doped polypyrrole (PPy) nanocomposites have been investigated, on the basis of the influence of thermal polarization on charge transport. Nanoparticles of ZnO were synthesized using a precipitation method, yielding a size of 11.329 nm. PPy was synthesized via chemical oxidative polymerization. The ZnO/PPy nanocomposites were prepared by mixing the components in a PVA solution. Electrical measurements were conducted on both unpolarized and thermally polarized films at 60 °C. Results show that thermal polarization significantly reduces the activation energy for conduction across all doping concentrations by aligning dipoles and minimizing structural disorder. While unpolarized films exhibit high, voltage-dependent activation energies, polarized films show lower, more stable values. The optimal ZnO concentration for reducing activation energy was found to be 3–4%, as higher concentrations (5%) introduced excessive traps, which leads to the role of thermal polarization in optimizing the electrical performance of polymer nanocomposites.