The Meyer‐Neldel rule in layered silicone‐silver nanocomposites

Abstract X‐Ray diffraction and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy studies, applied on some silicone‐silver nanocomposites, revealed the influence of the solvent used in preparation on the morphology of the resulted materials. It has been emphasized that dimethylformamide solvent favors the formation of silver nanoparticles and their migration at the surface, while water solvent favors the formation of a homogeneous composite with small silver nanoparticles. The places occupied by Ag nanoparticles (some prevent their oxidation and others that favor the oxidation process) are dependent on the mixture used in sol‐gel technique and have influence on the nanocomposite electrical conductivity. The temperature dependence of the electrical conductivity is investigated. A linear relationship between the pre‐exponential factor (σ₀) and activation energy (E_a) was observed, in the high temperature range (T > 315 K), for all the samples, indicating that the conductivity data obey Meyer‐Neldel rule. POLYM. COMPOS., 2011. © 2011 Society of Plastics Engineers