The optical characteristic of PVA composite films doped by ZrO2 for optoelectronic and block UV-Visible applications

Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) composite films doped with (0, 0.037, 0.185, 0.37, 1.85, 3.7, and 18.5 wt%) zirconium oxide (ZrO2) particles are prepared using solution cast method. ZrO2 particles are affecting the structural and optical properties of PVA. In order to see modifications, XRD, SEM, and UV-vis-IR spectroscopy have performed. XRD patterns show a decrease in the PVA intensity and an increase in the intensity of ZrO2 phases with more addition of doping. The light in the UV-vis area, by the PVA films with a concentration of >= 3.7 wt% ZrO2, is fully blocked. The estimated absorption edge is reduced from 5.31 eV to 4.67 eV for PVA/18.5 wt% ZrO2. The indirect and direct energy gaps reached to 2.32 eV and 3.87 eV. The bandgap that evaluated using optical dielectric loss indicates the direct transition in films. Thus, by raising the ZrO2 in the PVA, the optical limitation is much improved and can, consequently, be used as good material for excellent optical filters.