Anomalous activation behavior of the conductivity mechanisms in polyaniline-doped graphitic carbon nitride

Abstract Incorporation of graphitic carbon nitride (g-CN) in a conductive polymer matrix has been used for different applications. However, the conductivity behavior of the conjugated polymer in the presence of g-CN still needs thorough exploring. This work investigates the electric conductivity of polyaniline/g-CN nanocomposites synthesized via an in situ oxidative polymerization reaction. The chemical structure of the prepared materials was studied using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The electrical and dielectric parameters were measured and calculated through broadband dielectric spectroscopy. The temperature dependence of the permittivity shows different trends depending on the polarization and conductivity mechanisms. The DC conductivity of all samples varies only by one order of magnitude. Its value at 373 K increases from 0.21 mS/cm for 1% g-CN to 2.2 mS/cm for 5% g-CN. However, the DC conductivity reduces again to 1.6 mS/cm for the sample containing 7% g-CN. The charge carrier mobility has a dominant effect on the conductivity, and its activation behavior shows unusual characteristics.