Morphological and Optical Characteristics of Zinc Sulfide on Silica-Modified Polyaniline Grown on Glass and Platinum-Coated Substrates

Silica-modified polyaniline (SM-PAni) were deposited on glass and platinum-coated glass substrates via oxidative polymerization. Zinc sulfide (ZnS) were grown on top of SM-PAni films by chemical bath deposition. The surface and optical characteristics were investigated. SEM micrographs revealed the formation of SM-PAni nanostructures and ZnS nanospheres. Increase in nanosphere sizes were observed when Pt-coated substrates were used. UV-Vis spectra showed that SM-PAni/ZnS nanocomposites grown on both substrates exhibit good absorbance in the visible and ultraviolet region which is a good indication for potential solar cell application. Better absorbance in the ultraviolet region was observed when Pt-coated substrates was used. Vibrational peaks observed in FTIR confirmed the presence of SM-PAni particles.