Magnetoresistive polyaniline/multi-walled carbon nanotube nanocomposites with negative permittivity

Abstract

Contrary to the observed positive giant magnetoresistance (GMR) in as-received multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs), pure polyaniline (PANI) synthesized with Cr(VI) as oxidant and MWNTs/PANI nanocomposites with ammonium persulfate (APS) as oxidant, a room temperature negative GMR of around −2% was reported in MWNTs/PANI nanocomposites with Cr(VI) as oxidant. Different from a frequency switch of permittivity from negative to positive in MWNTs/PANI nanocomposites with APS as oxidant, unique negative permittivity was observed in MWNTs/PANI nanocomposites with Cr(VI) as oxidant within the measured frequency range from 20 to 2 × 10⁶ Hz. The obtained unique negative permittivity was explained by the plasma frequency from the Drude model, at which the permittivity changes from negative to positive and the material changes from a metamaterial to an ordinary dielectric medium. The observed positive and negative GMR behaviors in these disordered systems as verified by the temperature dependent resistivity exploration were well explained through a wave-function shrinkage model and orbital magnetoconductivity theory by calculating the changed localization length (a₀).