Electrical properties of inorganic nanowire–polymer composites

Composites of nanowires of ZnO, RuO2 and Ag with polyaniline (PANI) as well as polypyrrole (PPy) have been prepared, for the first time, by an in-situ process, in order to investigate their electrical properties. Characterization by electron microscopy and IR spectroscopy indicates that there is considerable interaction between the oxide nanowires and the polymer. The room-temperature resistivity of the composites prepared in-situ varies in the 0.01–400 Ω cm range depending on the composition. While the resistivities of the PANI–ZnONW and PPy–ZnONW composites prepared by the in-situ process are generally higher than that of PANI/PPy, those of PANI–RuO2NW and PANI–AgNW are lower. Composites of ZnONW with polyaniline prepared by an ex-situ process exhibit a resistivity close to that of polyaniline.