Dielectric and Conductivity Characteristics of CuCl₂ Doped Poly(N-vinyl carbazole) and Its Hybrid Nanocomposite with Fe₃O₄

Copper(II) chloride (CuCl₂) doped poly(N-vinyl carbazole) (PNVC)–ferric oxide (Fe₃O₄) hybrid composites have been prepared and characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic studies, UV-Vis spectroscopy, high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and X-ray diffraction analyses and evaluated in regard to dielectric response and ac/dc conductivity characteristics. HRTEM images for CuCl₂–(PNVC–Fe₃O₄) composite indicate the co-existence of both the CuCl₂ and Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles in the composite and characteristic lattice fringes are clearly observed which endorse the formation of thin layer interfaces between Fe₃O₄ and CuCl₂ nanoparticles. The dielectric constants of the CuCl₂ doped PNVC and PNVC–Fe₃O₄ composites increase substantially relative to the corresponding values of the polymer and the polymer composite respectively. Like-wise, the conductivities (ac and dc) are also improved substantially after doping with CuCl₂. The dependence of these functional properties on the extent of metal salt loading has been evaluated and a quantitative estimation of the contribution of the grain boundary and resistance parameters has been attempted in terms of Maxwell-Wagner two-layered model.