Micro-Raman spectroscopy and effective conductivity studies of graphene nanoplatelets/polyaniline composites Nacer Badi 1,2 • Syed Khasim 1,3 • Aashis S. Roy 4 Received: 23 January 2016 / Accepted: 16 February 2016 Ó Springer Science+Business Media New York 2016 Abstract The graphene, a monolayer of carbon atoms arranged in two dimensional lattices has attracted greater research interests due to its exceptional electrical and optical properties. The properties of conducting polymer can be tailored to a large extent with a suitable formation of nanocomposites using graphene material. In this paper we report on the preparation and characterization of transpar- ent conductive graphene nanoplatelets/polyaniline (GNPs– PANI) composite coatings. The structural features of the nanocompositeswere investigated using Fourier transform infrared spectra (FTIR) and micro Raman analysis. FTIR spectra of GNP–PANI coating clearly reveal the presence of characteristic peaks of both PANI and GNP indicating the formation of a composite film. The micro Raman spectra reveal the presence of characteristic D and G modes of vibrations in composite film (GNP–PANI) with intensity of G mode greater than the D mode due to the composite formation. The optical Raman images confirm the uniform dispersion of GNP in PANI. The transport properties of the composite film were studied through AC/DC conductivity measurement, dielectric behavior is analyzed with respect to dielectric constant, loss tangent, and Cole–Cole plots characteristics. The study of transport properties of the composite film reveals that the presence of GNPin the PANI significantly tailors the electrical properties of pure PANI. Due to its transparent nature and excellent electrical properties, these GNP–PANI nanocomposites can find wide technological applications in the fabrication of optoelectronic devices. 1 Introduction The field of nanoscience and nanotechnology has flour- ished in the past two decades as the miniaturization of devices becomes significantly important in many areas of technology due the synthesis of nanomaterials of different shapes and sizes [1]. During the last couple of years, gra- phene has been used as analternative carbon–based nano- filler in the preparation of nanocomposites based on polymers and they have shown improved thermal, mechanical, optical and electrical properties [2–9]. Ever since the discovery of isolation of a single layer graphene from graphite [10], studies on different synthesis proce- dures, characterization, properties and their applications have grown exponentially. Graphene is generally referred as two dimensional array of carbon atoms that are sp 2 hybridized with honeycomb structure. Due to its superior optical, electrical, thermal and mechanical properties, it offers a diverse range of applications such as electronic circuits, sensors, flexible electrodes, EMI shielding, elec- tronic displays etc. [11–20]. The high aspect ratio of gra- phene compared to that of CNT’s and its stability to form composites with polymeric materials makes graphene a natural choice to form nanocomposites with polymers. Graphene generally exhibits superior properties compared & Nacer Badi nbadi@ut.edu.sa & Syed Khasim syed.pes@gmail.com 1 Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, University of Tabuk, Tabuk 71491, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 2 Center for Advanced Materials, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204-5004, USA 3 Department of Physics, PESIT-BSC, Bangalore 560100, India 4 Department of Chemistry, K B N College of Engineering, Gulbarga, Karnataka 585104, India 123 J Mater Sci: Mater Electron DOI 10.1007/s10854-016-4556-8