A systematic study of structural, conductivity, linear, and nonlinear optical properties of PEO/PVA-MWCNTs/ZnO nanocomposites films for optoelectronic applications

A solution chemical approach was used to make polyethylene oxide/polyvinyl alcohol-Multi-walled carbon nanotubes/Zinc oxide nanoparticles (PEO/PVA-MWCNTs/ZnO NPs) nanocomposite films. The effect of adding MWCNTs/ZnO NPs to a polymer blend on its electrical, dielectric, and optical characteristics is explored. The average crystallite size of ZnO and MWCNTs/ZnO nanoparticles is 25 nm and 20 nm, respectively, according to X-ray diffraction, while adding MWCNTs/ZnO to the polymer blend reduces the degree of crystallinity of the PEO/PVA blend. The optical characteristics of pure PEO/PVA and polymer nanocomposite films are illustrated using UV-visible spectrophotometry. The direct and indirect bandgap energies were calculated using Tauc's equation. The development of charge-transfer complexes within the composite films is linked to the shifting of the indirect bandgap (E-g ind) from 4.89 to 3.74 eV. When 0.9 wt% doped is added to pure PEO/PVA, the n increases from 1.8 to 4.54, indicating that there are minimal interactions between photons and electrons. The inclusion of MWCNTs/ZnO causes significant changes in the indirect/direct bandgap and extinction coefficient of PEO/PVA. The electrical conductivity (sigma(ac)) of the PEO/PVA blend is also enhanced by MWCNTs/ZnO addition. The blend's highest AC conductivity is 1.2 x 10(-10) S cm(-1), which increased to 2.1 x 10(-9) S cm(-1) when the MWCNTs/ZnO loading was increased to 0.9 wt%. Because of the high dielectric permittivity of MWCNTs/ZnO, the values of epsilon ' and epsilon '' increased as the amount of MWCNTs/ZnO grew. The appearance of semi-circles in the plot of Z ' with Z '' affirms the single phase of the films. These findings suggest that adding MWCNTs/ZnO NPs to PEO/PVA blend films as a promising material for optoelectronic device applications is a straightforward way to increase their technological value.

Automated summary

A nanocomposite film of PEO/PVA-MWCNTs/ZnO NPs was successfully prepared using a solution chemical method, with significant improvements in electrical, optical, and dielectric properties observed. Addition of MWCNTs/ZnO NPs influenced the crystallinity of the polymer blend, induced charge-transfer complexes, altered bandgap energies, and enhanced electrical conductivity and dielectric permittivity.