Liquid/liquid interfacial polymerization as an effective synthesis approach for polypyrrole/MWCNTs nanocomposite with impressive nonlinear optical properties

Nanocomposite of polypyyrole (PPy) and multi walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) is synthesized via liquid/liquid interfacial polymerization, where polymerization takes place at the interface of aqueous and organic phases. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images of the composite show that functionalized carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are wrapped by the polymer and the former are homogeneously dispersed in the polymer matrix. The high degree of crystallinity observed in the XRD plot of the nanocomposite indicates good extent of structural ordering during the formation of the nanocomposite. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and UV–visible absorption spectroscopy studies reveal the strong inter facial interaction between the polymer and the CNTs. The electrical conductivity of the nanocomposite is found to be enhanced to 8.05 S cm-1 from the value of 2.03 × 10−2 S cm-1 for polypyrrole. The nonlinear optical properties associated with the nanocomposite are studied using single beam Z-scan set up and the results confirm appreciable nonlinear optical response of the composite compared to pure polypyrrole. The studies also establish the potential applications of this nanocomposite as efficient optical limiters.