Structural, dielectric and electrical properties of new Ni-dopedcopper/bentonite composite

Abstract

This paper describes the synthesis and characteriszation of pure bentonite as well as nanocomposites with varying ratios of nickel (Ni) and metallic copper (Cu) based on the wet impregnation method. Both XRD (X-ray diffraction) and SEM-EDX (scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy) analyses confirm the structural characteristics of the composites. The emergence of a Ni peak in the Cu/bentonite EDX spectra indicates that it is in the proper spot and is most likely the creation of Ni–Cu oxides. Furthermore, the dielectric characteristics and electrical conductivity of Ni-loaded Cu/bentonite composites were also measured at temperatures ranging from 25 °C to 120 °C and at a frequency range of 100 Hz–0.3 MHz to investigate the impact of varying Ni ratios. For all nanocomposite samples, the dielectric constant (ε′) was shown to decrease with increasing frequency and rise with increasing Ni content. The dielectric modulus M″ resulted in a significant decrease in relaxation time. The associated barrier hopping conduction process was discovered to boost electric conductivity σac at higher frequencies (CBH).

Keywords

• Ni/Cu-bentonite composite
• Wet impregnation process
• Dielectric properties
• Conductivity