Effect of ionic liquids on the electrical and magnetic performance of polyaniline–nickel ferrite nanocomposite

Polyaniline–NiFe2O4 nanofiber composites were successfully synthesized at the interface of water and ionic liquid via in situ polymerization using cetyl trimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) as surfactant. Both TG analysis and FT-IR measurements proved the presence of organic layer on the surface of NiFe2O4 nanoparticles. The influence of 1-butyl-3-methyl-imidazolium bromide [BMIM]Br as ionic liquid on the structure, conductivity and magnetic property of polyaniline–NiFe2O4–CTAB nanocomposite were studied in detail. The results show that imidazolium-based ionic liquids BMIMBr acts as an anchor agent for the formation of morphology in polyaniline–NiFe2O4–CTAB nanocomposite. Introduction of ionic liquids obviously improves the conductivity but weakens the magnetization of polyaniline–NiFe2O4 nanocomposite.

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► Used solvents are environmentally benign solvents.
► PANI–NiFe2O4–CTAB–IL nanocomposite was synthesized for the first time in this study.
► RTILs directly affect the electrical properties and morphology of the synthesized nanocomposite.