Effect of borax additive on the dielectric response of polypyrrole

The main aim of this study is to produce added polypyrrole (PPy) borax composites with high dielectric properties for technological applications. For this purpose, PPy–borax composites with different borax concentrations varying from 10 to 50 wt% have been prepared. To reveal their structural and morphological attributes, the composites have been characterized by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The real and imaginary parts of complex dielectric function, the imaginary component of complex electrical modulus and ac conductivity have been investigated at room temperature as a function of frequency in the range 100 Hz–15 MHz. It has been found that addition of borax increases the dielectric constant of pure PPy. In this respect, PPy–borax composites with the highest dielectric constant at low frequency may be utilized in charge storing devices. On the other hand, the dielectric loss is also very high in low-frequency region for the composites with high borax content. Exploiting this property, the material may also be used in decoupling capacitor applications. The relaxation mechanisms of the samples have also been determined as non-Debye type. The Nyquist curves of the samples have been analysed for calculating the grain and grain boundary resistance and capacitance values. In conclusion, borax has a promising potential to be used as a cheap and effective filler for improving the dielectric properties of PPy polymer.