Conductivity Mechanisms in a Composite of Chitosan-Silver Nanoparticles

The aim of this work was to investigate the conductivity mechanisms of a bionanocomposite of chitosan-silver nanoparticles. The DC conductivity in dry samples shows that the composite exhibits a percolation threshold at about 2% volume fraction of nanoparticles. For films with less than 2%, the temperature dependence of the DC conductivity in the range 2–70°C exhibits the two-dimensional hopping conductivity. For all nanocomposites in the temperature range 70–180°C, both conductivity and relaxation times obtained from electrical module measurements demonstrate an Arrhenius-type temperature dependence. This behavior is associated with the migration property of movable hydrogen ions and the formation of dipolar structures.