Structural, Dielectric, and Electrical Properties of Chitosan Composites Doped with Silver for Electrochemical Applications

In this study, chitosan-silver (Chs-Ag) composites containing Ag in different concentrations (0.01–0.08 M) were prepared. The characterization and structure studies of the composites containing 0.01, 0.02, 0.04, and 0.08 M Ag were carried out, and then the dielectric properties of these composites were examined. The composites were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectrophotometer (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The dielectric and electrical properties of these composites were investigated depending on the frequency at room temperature, and these properties were determined using an impedance analyzer. Spectroscopy revealed that the dielectric constant (ε′), dielectric loss (ε′′), and real (Z′) and imaginary (Z″) components of impedance are found to decrease with increased frequency for both Chs and Chs-Ag (0.01M–0.08 M) composites. On the contrary, the AC conductivity (σ_ac) of samples increased with increasing frequency. ε′ and ε′′ values of Chs were lower than when the Ag was added. The AC conductivity was improved by the addition of silver particles. The results show that the dielectric and electrical properties of Chs-Ag samples were improved by using Ag as filler.