Flexible and innovative PVA/ZrO2/g-C3N4/CNT nanocomposites film for optoelectronic applications
Year: 2024
Type: article
Abstract: This study successfully prepared polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) polymer films doped with ZrO 2 /(g-C 3 N 4 /CNT) nanofillers using the solution casting technique. The crystal structure of the nanocomposite films was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), revealing the semi-crystalline nature of PVA and an average ZrO 2 crystallite size of 13.17 nm. Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy confirmed the chemical composition and functional groups present in the nanocomposites. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis showed uniform dispersion of the nanofillers without noticeable phase separation, with EDX confirming the successful incorporation of ZrO 2 , g-C 3 N 4 , and CNT into the PVA matrix. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) further validated the elemental composition and chemical states, indicating the presence of carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, and zirconium . Optical analysis demonstrated that increasing ZrO 2 /(g-C 3 N 4 /CNT) content reduced the direct and indirect band gaps from 5.41 eV to 5.25 eV and from 5.18 eV to 4.92 eV, respectively. In addition, the single-oscillator energy ( E 0 ) and dispersion energy ( E d ) increased, while the static refractive index (n 0 ) decreased. Improvements were also observed in linear optical susceptibility (χ (1) ) and third-order nonlinear optical susceptibility (χ (3) ), enhancing the polarizability of the polymer molecules. These results indicate that PVA films doped with ZrO 2 /(g-C 3 N 4 /CNT) hold promise for optoelectronic applications due to their enhanced optical properties .
Source: Polymer Testing
Author: Majed Alshammari
Institution: Jouf University
Language: English
Subfield: Polymers and Plastics
Field: Materials Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,580
Funder: Al Jouf University
OpenAlex ID: W4403158783