Rod-shaped polyaniline-barium ferrite nanocomposite: preparation, characterization and properties

Rod-shaped polyaniline (PANI)-barium ferrite nanocomposite was synthesized by in situ polymerization of aniline in the presence of BaFe(12)O(19) nanoparticles with diameters of 60-80 nm. The structure, morphology and properties of the nanocomposite were measured using powder x-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and vibrating sample magnetometry. Different ferrite/PANI ratios were selected in order to study magnetic and conductive properties. The results indicated that there were some interactions between PANI chains and ferrite particles. The saturation magnetization and the coercivity varied with the ferrite content. The conductivity at room temperature decreased from 43.35 to 6.9 × 10(-2) S cm(-1) when the ferrite content changed from 0 to 50 wt%. The composite has excellent electromagnetic parameters which indicates potential application in high performance adsorbing materials in broadband and high frequency ranges. The polymerization mechanism and interactions in the nanocomposites were also studied.