Optical, vibrational and fluorescence recombination pathway properties of nano SiO2-PVA composite films

We report optical and spectroscopic investigations on polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)/silica composite free standing films. Amorphous silica nanoparticles are synthesized from rice husk ash using pyrolysis technique. PVA/silica nano composite free standing films are prepared by simple chemical method. As prepared nano composites are characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Raman spectroscopy, photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL) and time resolved photoluminescence (TRPL) spectroscopy techniques. Spectroscopic studies reveal the structural modification of silica nanoparticle in PVA matrix due to the formation some new chemical bonds. The prepared PVA/Silica composites exhibit exceptional optical properties which can be applicable for Opto-electronic device applications.