Enhancement of electrical conductivity and morphological features of Polysulfone/MnO2 nanocomposite films with differing α-MnO2 nanorods loadings

This study aimed to fabricate polysulfone (PSU) nanocomposite films loaded with manganese dioxide (α-MnO2) nanorods (NRs) with enhanced optical, electrical conductivity and morphological features. The synthesis of these nanocomposites delves into the synergistic effects of incorporating various concentrations (1 wt%, 3 wt%, 5 wt%, 10 wt%, and 30 wt%) of α-MnO2 NRs. The selection of α-MnO2 NRs is based on their unique morphological, electronic, and catalytic properties. The synthesized α-MnO2 NRs exhibited specific characteristics, including a 40 nm diameter, an aspect ratio of 10, and an α-MnO2 NRs crystalline form with a band gap of 2.5 eV. Electrical conductivity measurements demonstrated a substantial eight-decade increase at a 5 wt% α-MnO2 NRs concentration, remaining nearly constant thereafter. Notably, with a consistent 5 wt% α-MnO2 NRs loading, an increase in film thickness from 2.8 μm to 70 μm correlated with enhanced electrical conductivity, rising from 3.25 × 10−9 to 1.84 × 10−7 S/cm. This comprehensive investigation provides insights into strategically optimizing electrical and morphological attributes in PSU/α-MnO2 nanocomposite films, offering potential applications in diverse fields such as electronics, energy storage, and membrane technologies. [Display omitted] •Synthesized α-MnO2 displays a rod-like morphology uniformly dispersed in the PSU films.•Incorporation of α-MnO2 NRs results in a remarkable increase in electrical conductivity.•Enhanced conductivity is attributed to direct particle-to-particle contact in the PSU films.•High loading of α-MnO2 NRs slightly affect the thermal stability of the PSU films.•Loading α-MnO2 NRs into PSU films shows potential optical and catalytic applications.