CdSe nanorod-reinforced poly(thiophene) composites in designing energy storage devices: study of morphology and dielectric behavior

The present study reports the findings about developing the energy storage resources following a green and economically viable method. Polythiophene (PTh) and its nanocomposites (PTh/CdSe) were synthesized using a chemical oxidative polymerization method. The FTIR spectra of the as-prepared composite confirm the presence of CdSe in PTh matrix. The XRD spectra suggest for the amorphous nature of native PTh which further changes into semicrystalline nature when CdSe was incorporated into it. PTh/CdSe nanocomposites showed both cubic and hexagonal phases, and the crystallite size was found to increase from 8 nm to 45 nm when CdSe was reinforced into the PTh matrix. Transmission electron microscopic images of pure PTh showed spherical morphology of the particles joined to each other through van der Waals forces. The doping of CdSe also results in appearance of needle-like nanostructures over PTh surfaces. These isolated needles have CdSe nanorod-like structures. Impedance data reveal that charge transfer resistance (R-ct) of pure PTh is higher than that of the PTh/CdSe nanocomposites. The reduced charge transfer resistance (R-ct) indicates that conductivity of nanocomposites is higher than that of the native one. When PTh was reinforced with the CdSe, they showed an increase in dielectric constant which is due to the alignment of polarization charges with increased frequency. This mechanism of polarization is helpful in increasing the charge storage capacity of the material. Thus, the observed results may open up doors of new avenues to design energy storage devices using conducting polymer/semiconductor nanocomposites.

Automated summary

The study synthesized Polythiophene (PTh) and its nanocomposites (PTh/CdSe) using a chemical oxidative polymerization method, confirming the presence of CdSe in PTh matrix. The nanocomposites showed higher conductivity and charge storage capacity compared to the native material. These results offer new possibilities in designing energy storage devices using conducting polymer/semiconductor nanocomposites.