AC conductivity and dielectric investigations of amorphous manganese oxide and amorphous manganese oxide/conducting polymer nanocomposites

Simple redox reactions at ambient conditions have prepared manganese dioxide (MnO 2 ) and MnO 2 /conducting polymer nanocomposites. Keeping the aqueous KMnO 4 solution as a manganese source, MnO 2 , MnO 2 /polyaniline, and MnO 2 /polypyrrole nanocomposites are synthesized using ethylene glycol, aniline, and pyrrole as reducing agents, respectively. The powder X-ray diffraction analysis reveals that the prepared MnO 2 and MnO 2 -based nanocomposites are amorphous. Fourier transform infrared spectral measurements further confirm the presence of functional groups. The change in the morphology of all samples was observed through scanning electron microscopy. The AC electrical conductivity and dielectric measurements are taken in the applied frequency range of 10 Hz–100 MHz. With the help of these experimental parameters, the electrical properties of MnO 2 , MnO 2 /polyaniline, and MnO 2 /polypyrrole nanocomposites are analyzed. Out of all prepared nanocomposites, the results signpost better conductivity for Ppy-MnO 2 nanocomposite, and its conductivity enhances with the rise in applied frequency. Based on the observations, manganese-based conducting polymer composites can be used to develop electronic device-level applications. Also, the preparation method adopted in this study is simple, and these materials can produce on a large scale.