Atomic level understanding of site-specific interactions in Polyaniline/TiO2 composite

TL;DR

This study uses density functional theory to explore how site-specific interactions in a polyaniline/TiO2 composite influence its electronic properties, providing insights for optimizing photovoltaic device performance.

Contribution

It reveals how atomic-level interactions in the composite affect band gap and electronic states, guiding synthesis optimization for better photovoltaic efficiency.

Findings

Band gap can be engineered via site-specific interactions.

Ti atoms influence conduction band minimum location.

Atomic-level synthesis parameters can enhance device performance.

Abstract

The results of spin-polarized density functional theory calculations find that band gap engineering can be achieved by site-specific interactions in a composite consisting of polyaniline and TiO2 nanoparticles. Interactions in the composite matrix are found to be mediated by Ti atoms inducing dependency of location of the conduction band minimum on the polyaniline site which is being probed by TiO2. This dependency is due to subtle changes in the nature of valance or conduction states near Fermi level introduced by the interacting matrix sites. The results therefore suggest that optimization of the synthesis parameters at atomic level can be an effective way to improve performance of a photovoltaic device based on PAni- TiO2 composite.