SYNTHESIS AND CHARACTERIZATION OF POLYANILINE (PANI) DOPED WITH VANADIUM PENTOXIDE(V2O5)

Conducting polymers are organic macromolecules of electrical properties and lie between metallic and semiconductors. Polyaniline (PANI) / Vandiumpentaoxide (V2O5) composites are conducting polymers which have been synthesized by the technique of polymerization of aniline with vanadium pentaoxide (V2O5) using oxidant ammonium persulphate [(NH4)2 S2O8] . V2O5 has been added in PANI in three different weight percentages (wt %) i.e. 20, 30 and 40 wt %. Thus the synthesized polymer composites of PANI / V2O5 have been characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) techniques. The optical properties have been determined using Ultra Violet Visible (UV-Vis) absorption spectroscopy. DC conductivity of PANI / V2O5 has been carried out. It is found that electrical conductivity (σdc) and optical energy band gap (Eg) of polymer composites PANI / V2O5 both vary with the varying concentration of V2O5 in PANI. XRD patterns of PANI / V2O5 exhibits the increase in crystallinity with increasing weight percent of V2O5 in PANI which may be attributed to interaction of PANI with V2O5.SEM images of PANI / V2O5 show the change in surface morphology with varying concentration of V2O5 in PANI.