Gas and humidity response of iron oxide—Polypyrrole nanocomposites

Nanocomposites of PPY–Fe3O4 have been synthesized using an emulsion polymerization method in aqueous solution. The resulting polymer composites possessed much higher conductivity as compared to pure polypyrrole (PPY) and the conductivity decreased with increasing the PPY content. The composite exhibited fairly high sensitivity to relative humidity and some commonly used gases (N2, O2 and CO2). Changes in resistance for nitrogen and oxygen gas have also been reported. Based on these results, it is expected that these composites may furnish a simple means of humidity and gas sensing.