Synthesis and characterization of polypyrrole dodecylbenzenesulfonate-titanium dioxide nanocomposites

Nanocomposites of polypyrrole dodecylbenzenesulfonate‐titanium dioxide have been prepared from a colloidal solution of titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles. The DC conductivity of samples with different concentrations of TiO2 has been investigated under dark and light. The doping effect of TiO2 has been characterized and evaluated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and X‐ray diffraction. TEM shows that TiO2 nanoparticles have strong effects on the morphology of composites, and conductivity measurements show that the conductivity first increases and then decreases as the percentage of TiO2 is increased in the composites exhibiting a maximum in conductivity at about 20 wt % of TiO2. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010