Tunable band gap and ionic conductivity in PMMA and PANI blend with WO₃ nanocomposites for optoelectronics and energy storage devices

Ahlam I Al-Sulami; Nuha Y Elamin; Eman Aldosari; M O Farea; Soad S Alzahrani; Amani M Al-Harthi; Ebtesam M Alharbi; A Rajeh

doi:10.1038/s41598-025-17880-8

Tunable band gap and ionic conductivity in PMMA and PANI blend with WO₃ nanocomposites for optoelectronics and energy storage devices

Sci Rep. 2025 Oct 3;15(1):34543. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-17880-8.

Authors

Ahlam I Al-Sulami¹, Nuha Y Elamin², Eman Aldosari³, M O Farea⁴, Soad S Alzahrani², Amani M Al-Harthi⁵, Ebtesam M Alharbi⁶, A Rajeh⁷

Affiliations

¹ Department of Chemistry, College of Science, University of Jeddah, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
² Department of Chemistry, College of Science, Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University (IMSIU), P.O. Box 5701, 11623, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
³ Department of Chemistry, College of Science, King Saud University, P. O. Box 145111, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
⁴ Physics Department, Faculty of Science, Ibb University, Ibb, Yemen.
⁵ Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, King Abdulaziz University, 21589, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
⁶ Department of Physical Sciences, College of Science, University of Jeddah, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
⁷ Physics Department, Faculty of Applied Science, Amran University, Sana'a, Yemen. a.rajeh88@yahoo.com.

Abstract

This work presents PMMA/PANI-WO₃ nanocomposites with tunable optical and electrical properties, designed for optoelectronic and energy storage applications. The novelty of this study lies in the incorporation of WO₃ nanoparticles into a PMMA/PANI blend, enabling a simultaneous enhancement of dielectric behavior, ionic conductivity, and optical response. XRD and FTIR analyses confirmed reduced crystallinity and strong polymer-filler interactions. Optical studies revealed a notable decrease in the band gap from 3.80 eV for pure PMMA/PANI to 3.18 eV at the highest WO₃ loading, accompanied by improved refractive index. Thermal analysis demonstrated enhanced stability, while impedance spectroscopy showed an increase in ionic conductivity by nearly three orders of magnitude (10⁻⁸ → 10^-5 S cm⁻¹), along with a higher dielectric constant, attributed to interfacial polarization and improved charge mobility. These results establish WO₃ as an effective nanofiller for tailoring multifunctional properties in polymer composites, making the developed materials promising candidates for flexible optoelectronic devices, supercapacitors, and advanced energy storage systems.

Keywords: AC conductivity; Electrical properties; Optical parameters; PMMA/PANI-WO₃; XRD.