Enhancing the dielectric characteristics of argon-beam-irradiated polymer composite films

In this study, the casting preparation technique was applied to produce flexible cellulose acetate (CA)/polyaniline (PANI) composite films. The CA/PANI samples, which are composed of PANI and CA, will be directed to applied in electrical storage devices. The X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Raman spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy techniques were employed for analyzing the produced films. The TEM showed that PANI was formed with a particle size less than 100 nm. Next, argon-ion beams with varying fluences (4 × 10¹⁴, 8 × 10¹⁴ and 12 × 10¹⁴ ions/cm²) were used to bombard the CA/PANI samples. At frequencies of 20 Hz–5.5 MHz, the dielectric properties of CA/PANI were significantly altered by argon beam treatment. Irradiation of a sample with 12 × 10¹⁴ ions/cm² at a frequency of 50 Hz resulted in an improvement in the dielectric constant ε′ from 36.4 for the unirradiated CA/PANI to 108.6. Additionally, the relaxation time decreased from 1.63 × 10⁻⁴ to 2.08 × 10⁻⁵ s. The results of this work open ways for using irradiated CA/PANI in a number of devices, such as supercapacitors and batteries.