Fabrication and characterization of polyaniline-znO hybrid nanocomposite thin films

Polyaniline (PANI)-ZnO nanocomposite thin film has been successfully fabricated on glass substrates by using vacuum deposition technique. The as-grown PANI-ZnO nanocomposite thin films have been characterized using X-ray diffraction, Scanning Electron Microscopy, Atomic Force Microscopy, UV-visible spectrophotometer and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, respectively. X-ray diffraction of as-grown film shows the reflection of ZnO nanoparticles along with a broad peak of PANI. The surface morphology of nanocomposite films has been investigated using scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. The hypsochromic shift of the UV absorption band corresponding to pi-pi* transition in polymeric chain of PANI and a band at 504 cm(-1) due to ZnO nanoparticles has been observed in the FTIR spectra. The hydrogen bonding between the imine group of PANI and ZnO nanoparticle has been confirmed from the presence of the absorbance band at 1151 cm(-1) in the FTIR spectra of the nanocomposite thin films.