Negative permittivity and negative permeability of multi-walled carbon nanotubes/polypyrrole nanocomposites

Multi-walled carbon nanotubes(MWCNTs)/polypyrrole(PPy) nanocomposite particles were synthesized by in-situ polymerization. Negative permittivity and negative permeability appeared simultaneously in MWCNTs/PPy nanocomposites with different content of MWCNTs. It was found from SEM analysis that MWCNTs/PPy nanocomposite particles were randomly packed with a large number of micropores, and formed a lot of conductive loops around the micropores, some MWCNTs could be cross the micropores and increase the number of conductive loops. In the meantime, MWCNTs themselves in MWCNTs/PPy composite also formed many conductive networks. The negative permittivity behavior stem from the plasma oscillation of delocalized electrons in the conductive networks, and the negative permeability was attributed to the diamagnetic response of ring currents in the plentiful conductive loops. This study should initially find a double negative metamaterial in polymer composites. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.