Fabrication, characterization and effects of CuO nanoparticles on the optical behavior of polypyrrole polymeric films‏

The successful preparation of flexible PPy/CuO nanocomposite consisting of polypyrrole
(PPy) with copper oxide (CuO) was achieved. The structural analysis of PPy and PPy/CuO
was conducted by EDX, SEM, TEM, and FTIR techniques, which providing the successful
fabrications of PPy/CuO nanocomposite films. The EDX analysis of thePPy/CuO
nanocomposite reveals the presence of characteristic peaks corresponding to the elements
of C, Cu, N, and O, with weight percentages of 47.46%, 9.05%, 19.08%, and 24.41%,
respectively. The obtained results provide confirmation that the PPy/CuO nanocomposite
film does not exhibit the presence of any impurity components. The FTIR noticed that all
peaks of PPy spectrum also showed in the spectra of PPy/CuO nanocomposite films with a
little shifts in peaks, in which these shifts increase with increasing contents of CuO
nanoparticles. The findings of this study indicate that there are interactions occurring
between PPy/CuO. Furthermore, SEM was employed to elucidate the morphological of the
(PPy) and PPy/CuO. The SEM demonstrate that the copper oxide (CuO) are evenly
distributed within the nanocomposite films. Using Tauc's relation, the band gap and
Urbach energy of PPy and PPy/CuO films. were determined. The addition of varying
concentrations (2.5%, 5%, and 10%) of CuO to PPy increase the Urbach tail of PPy,
resulting in energy values of 1.08 eV, 1.11 eV, and 1.13 eV, correspondingly.
Simultaneously, the presence of CuO causes reduction in the band gap of PPy from 3.42
eV to 3.35 eV, 3.32 eV, and 3.30 eV. Consequently, the incorporation of CuO into
PPy/CuO composite films induces both structural and optical modifications, rendering
these films suitable for utilization in optoelectronic devices