Structural, optical, electrical, and DFT studies on polyvinyl pyrrolidone/polyethylene oxide polymer blend filled with MoO3 nanoplates for flexible energy-storage devices

Nanocomposite films of PVP/PEO containing MoO3 nanoplates were prepared using a casting procedure. XRD results showed that the addition of MoO3 in the virgin PVP/PEO blend increases the amorphous domains of polymer nanocomposite (PNC) films. The DFT/FT-IR results have established the miscibility and the interaction between PVP and PEO polymers via hydrogen bonds. Also, FTIR studies showed a coordination interaction between MoO3 nanoplates and the C=O group of PVP and/or the C-O-C group of PEO of the PVP/PEO blend. The optical band gap values of PNC films of PVP/PEO/MoO3 decreased with increasing MoO3 content. The relaxation processes and dielectric dispersion of the prepared PNC films were examined and discussed. The electrical conductivity was enhanced via the addition of MoO3 nanoplates because of an increase in the number density of the charge carriers. The dominated conduction mechanism of PNC films reveals the correlated barrier hopping model, while the type of relaxation process follows the non-Debye one. These observations illustrate the applicability and potential uses of these PNC films as a nanodielectric material in ceramic capacitors and electrochemical applications such as devices of energy storage and separators in batteries.

Automated summary

Nanocomposite films of PVP/PEO containing MoO3 nanoplates were prepared and their structure, optical, and electrical properties were studied. The addition of MoO3 increased the amorphous polymer domains and promoted the interaction between PVP and PEO through hydrogen bonds. Furthermore, the optical band gap decreased and the electrical conductivity increased with the addition of MoO3. These findings are significant for the development of nanocomposite materials for ceramic capacitors and electrochemical devices.