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Journal of Polymer & Composites Original Research Special issue Open Access

Structural and Optical Properties of Nanocomposites of Polyethylene Oxide Embedded with Nano-ZNO

  1. K.Sudhakar Department of Physics, University College of Science(A), Osmania University, Hyderabad
  2. R.Venugopal Department of Physics, University College of Science(A), Osmania University, Hyderabad
  3. N.Narsimlu Department of Physics, University College of Engineering(A), Osmania University, Hyderabad
  4. CH. Srinivas Department of Physics, University College of Engineering (A), Osmania University, Hyderabad

Abstract

Polymer nanocomposites have attracted significant attention in recent years owing to their unique properties and potential applications in a variety of fields. In this study, PEO-ZnO nanocomposites were prepared with different wt.% (5, 10 and 15) nano-ZnO particles incorporated into PEO matrix by a solution casting method. Structural and Optical properties of PEO-ZnO nanocomposites were studied. X-ray diffraction (XRD) studies suggest the incorporation of ZnO NPs into PEO matrix. The XRD results confirm successful incorporation of ZnO NPs into PEO matrix without any additional impurity peaks. The ‘XRD results’ also revealed that the ZnO NPs were in the wurtzite phase. The presence of a peak at 2θ = 19.36° indicates semi-crystalline nature of PEO base matrix. The mean size of the ZnO NPs was determined to be approximately 52nm. The vibration bands observed in the prepared films were confirmed using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The presence of NPs in the films was further investigated using FESEM. UV‒visible optical absorption spectra were recorded to determine band gap values of prepared films. The band gap for pure PEO was 5.35eV, and this value decreased with increasing wt. % ZnO NPs due to change in band structure of pure PEO. The ‘optical dielectric properties’ were also evaluated, and optical dielectric constant increased with increasing wt.% ZnO NPs, which was attributed to the increase in density of states leading to the formation of polarization. The optical conductivity of prepared nanocomposites increases with increasing wt.% ZnO NPs due to formation of a charge-transfer complex. The obtained results indicate that the addition of ZnO NPs reduces optical band gap of PEO/ZnO nanocomposites.

Keywords

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