Facile synthesis, characterization and material properties of a novel poly( vinyl cinnamate)/nickel oxide nanocomposite

A poly( vinyl cinnamate) (PVCin) composite was synthesized by a simple one step in situ polymerization of vinyl cinnamate with nickel oxide (NiO) nanoparticles. The structural, morphological and thermal properties of the nanocomposite were characterized using Fourier transform( FT)-Raman, FT infrared( FTIR) and UV spectroscopies, X-ray diffraction (XRD), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), differential scanning calorimetry and vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM) measurements. FT-Raman, FTIR and UV spectroscopy results revealed the characteristic absorption and shifts of peaks of the polymer matrix, the shifts being attributed to the interaction of NiO nanoparticles with the polymer chains. The structural andmorphological analysis using XRD, HRTEM and FESEM showed the uniform arrangement of nanoparticles within the polymer chains. VSM showed the ferromagnetic nature of the composite with an increasing saturation of magnetism. The glass transition temperature (T-g) of the composite was higher than that of pure PVCin and Tg of the composite increased with increasing nanoparticle content. The electrical resistivity of the nanocomposite was studied from AC and DC conductivity measurements. AC and dielectric properties were markedly enhanced in the whole range of frequency due to the presence of NiO nanoparticles. DC conductivity of the nanocomposite was much higher than that of PVCin and the conductivity of the nanocomposite increased with increasing content of NiO nanoparticles. (C) 2016 Society of Chemical Industry