Facile synthesis and high-performance dielectric properties of polyethylene oxide-chitosan- iron oxide nano-composite for electrical applications

The use of polymer mixtures to create ternary nanocomposites with customized features is receiving greater attention around the world. Polyethylene oxide/chitosan/iron oxide NPs form a novel ternary nanocomposite in our research. In one step, iron oxide nanoparticles were produced using laser ablation at various times and distributed in a PEO/CS. XRD, FTIR, FESEM, and UV-Vis methods were used to study the produced PEO/CS/Fe₃O₄NPs films. The produced samples' dielectric characteristics and electrical conductivity were measured. The XRD data showed a significant reduction in crystallinity, which enhanced Fe3O4 NP interactions with the PEO/CS matrix. The size of the Fe₃O₄NPs created by laser ablation is 45 nm. At varied laser ablation times, FT-IR measurements confirm the specific interaction in PEO/CS/Fe₃O₄. The FESEM images show that the distribution of Fe₃O₄NPs has appeared as bright spots on the surfaces of the samples. The optical characteristics of the produced materials provide an absorption edge at 218 nm, which was shifted to a high wavelength via raising the laser ablation time. The energy gap of nanocomposite samples decreased as laser ablation time increased, ranging from 5.35 eV to 4.43 eV for the direct transition and from 4.91 eV to 2.49 eV for the indirect transition. With an increase in Fe3O4 NPs, A.C electrical conductivity of PEO/CS/Fe₃O₄samples increased. The PEO/CS/Fe₃O₄NPs at 20 min laser ablation time achieve a high conductivity of ∼8.47 × 10^-6S/cm. The study showed that PEO/CS/Fe₃O₄samples have good electrical characterization, which may motivate the use of these nanocomposites in varied electrical applications.