Synthesis and study of optical and electrical characteristics of a hybrid structure of single wall carbon nanotubes and silver nanoparticles

Abstract

Ag nanoparticles of average size 20 nm have been deposited on SWCNT surfaces following a very lucid wet chemical process. The SWCNT/Ag nanohybrid material has been characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDAX), X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis and Raman spectroscopy. Both optical and electrical properties of the hybrid have been studied. The hybrid material has been synthesized at 60 °C and treated to higher temperatures. About three-fold increase in photoluminescence (PL) emission intensity has been achieved when the hybrid sample has been treated to 500 °C. DC conductivity at varying temperatures from 77–473 K has been studied. The conductivity of Ag-decorated SWCNTs increased up to 1.76 times of that of pristine SWCNT at a low temperature of 180 K. This hybrid material can find wide application as conducting filler in polymer composite which other filler materials seldom possess.