Structural and electrical properties of dodecylbenzene sulphonicacid doped polypyrrole/zirconium oxide composites

Polypyrrole (PPy) dispersed in organic solvents was synthesized utilizing of dodecylbenzene sulphonic acid (DBSA) as a useful dopant. Composites of doped PPy with DBSA and also mixed with zirconium oxide (ZrO2) nanoparticles were achieved by the chemical polymerization method. Raman spectroscopy has been adopted to confirm the interaction between PPy-DBSA and ZrO2. The SEM also confirms the dual-phase structure of platelet and eggshell in PPy-DBSA-ZrO2. Temperature-dependant DC conductivity exhibited three-dimensional variable ranges hopping (3D-VRH) model. The density of states, hopping length and to activation energy were calculated and it was observed to be effected by increasing the weight ratio of ZrO2 into PPy-DBSA.