Characterization and electrical properties of vanadyl phosphate-polypyrrole nanocomposites

Characterizations of layered vanadyl phosphate, VOPO4 · 2H2O, intercalated with conducting polypyrrole (PPY) have been carried out employing x-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and high resolution transmission electron microscopy. Plate like structures are observed in scanning electron micrographs. The UV spectrum reveals the presence of PPY within nanocomposites in bimodal distribution. The room temperature conductivity of the nanocomposites is about 1000 times superior to the host vanadyl phosphate. Small polaron tunnelling is observed for smaller content of PPY. Electrical dc conductivity at low temperature is dominated by Mott's one-dimensional variable range hopping for the higher concentration of PPY