Synthesis, magnetic and electrical characteristics of poly(2-thiophen-3-yl-malonic acid)/Fe3O4 nanocomposite

Poly(2-thiophen-3-yl-malonic acid)/Fe3O4 nanocomposite was synthesized by the precipitation of Fe3O4 in the presence of poly(2-thiophen-3-yl-malonic acid) (PT3MA). Characterizations of the nanocomposite were performed by XRD, FT-IR, TEM, TGA, AC/DC conductivity and dielectric measurements. The capping of PT3MA around Fe3O4 nanoparticles was confirmed by FTIR spectroscopy, the interaction being between bridging oxygen of the carboxylate and the nanoparticle surface through bidentate binding. The crystallite particle sizes of 6 +/- 3 nm and 7 +/- 3 nm were obtained from XRD line profile fitting and from TEM image analysis respectively, and they are in good agreement with each other. Magnetization measurements revealed that PT3MA coated magnetite particles do not saturate at higher fields. The material showed superparamagnetic character as revealed by the absence of coercivity and remnant magnetization. Magnetic particle size was calculated as 7.3 +/- 1.0 nm from the mean magnetization term in the Langevin function which is also in conformity with the values determined from TEM micrographs and XRD line profile fitting. The TEM particle size analysis of the nanoparticles revealed the presence of a slightly modified magnetically dead nanoparticle surface. AC and DC conductivity measurements were performed to elucidate the electrical conduction characteristics of the product. (C) 2011 Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved.