Synthesis and Dielectric Properties Analysis of Polythiophene Nanoparticles

Abstract

Polythiophene nanoparticles were synthesized using a cationic surfactant-assisted chemical oxidative polymerization technique. Morphological, dielectric relaxation, and AC conductivity analyses were carried out with systematically varying CTAB concentrations. HRTEM images show well-ordered nanoparticles. X-ray diffraction patterns reveal a new diffraction peak at $2\theta = 26.6\degree$ at higher CTAB concentrations, indicating an enhancement of the conjugation length. Dielectric permittivity studies show that at lower frequencies ($<10^{5}$ Hz), the relaxation is dominated by the electrode polarization effect. AC conductivity analysis suggests the presence of a correlated barrier hopping mechanism. In the scaling approach, the AC conductivity data obtained at different temperatures superimpose on one another, suggesting a temperature-invariant conduction process.