Freestanding Ag2S/CuS PVA films with improved dielectric properties for organic electronics

The prime goal of this work is to synthesize free-standing polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) films doped with Ag2S, CuS, Ag2S/CuS alloy, and Ag2S/CuS nanocomposites through the sol–gel route. The dependence of Ag2S content in the PVA nanocomposite films on both the real and imaginary parts of the complex permittivity and loss tangent values was examined. An enhanced dielectric constant was achieved with minimum dielectric loss due to the insulating silica layer. By changing the Ag2S content in Ag2S/CuS PVA films, the AC conductivity is improved with pure Ag2S nanoparticles exhibiting highest values of the order of 10−6−10−9 S/cm. The Cole–Cole parameters were calculated and the semicircles observed in the plots indicate a single relaxation process. The results suggest that these composite films are potential materials for embedded capacitor applications. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016, 133, 43568.