Conduction Mechanism and Dielectric Relaxations of CdTe@PMMA Nanohybrids: A Comprehensive Study of Luminescent Concentrator Sensor Matrices

A comprehensive investigation into the electrical conductivity and dielectric properties of poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) nanohybrids doped with cadmium telluride (CdTe) quantum dots (QDs) is presented. By varying the doping concentration of CdTe QDs within the PMMA matrix, the study explores how these nanoparticles influence the morphological, structural, electrical, and dielectric properties of nanohybrids. Characterization techniques, including field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), confirmed the successful integration of CdTe QDs and demonstrated enhanced thermal stability and homogeneity of the nanohybrids. Dielectric relaxation studies conducted over the frequency range (100 Hz–1 MHz) and the temperature range (30–120 °C) revealed that increasing the QDs concentration altered the dynamics of the β-relaxation process. Electrical conductivity measurements revealed a significant increase with the incorporation of CdTe QDs, peaking at 0.8 wt% and then declining at higher concentrations due to nanoparticle aggregation, with the conduction mechanism, following the Correlated Barrier Hopping (CBH) model. The obtained results suggest that CdTe@PMMA nanohybrids have significant potential for energy-efficient luminescent sensor applications, with tunable electrical and dielectric properties, offering crucial insights into optimizing their performance for sustainable technology development.