A study on the effect of melt-intercalation of PEO in HNbWO6 Original Research Article

Polyethylene oxide (PEO) has been introduced into HNbWO6·1.5H2O using melt-intercalation technique and its effect on the structure and properties of the host material studied using powder X-ray diffraction, FT–IR, impedance spectroscopy and TGA/DTA measurements. The intercalation reaction leads to loss of stacking coherence along the c-axis of the host layered material, as evidenced by the XRD data. FT–IR spectra of the nanocomposite show changes, indicative of complexing of the guest polymer with the host layered structure. TGA/DTA isothermal profiles exhibit marked changes upon prolonged periods of intercalation. The conductivity of the nanocomposite is found to be about 2×10−6 S/cm.