Mixed protonic-electronic conduction and dielectric response in layered vanadyl phosphate nanocomposites

The layered vanadyl phosphate, VOPO4 center dot 2H(2)O, is employed to prepare nanosized conducting polypyrrole by redox intercalation method. Transport and dielectric properties of various compositions have been investigated by impedance technique over a temperature range of 300-120 K. Grain boundary conductivity is larger than the bulk conductivity. The conductivity reveals a discontinuity at about 212-235 K. The conductivity is predominantly ionic at high temperature and electronic at low temperature. The dielectric spectra reveal a peak in the frequency range up to 2 MHz for higher concentration of intercalated polypyrrole. The activation energy of conductivity relaxation is different from that of total conductivity derived from the impedance plot. (c) 2006 American Institute of Physics.