Synthesis and characterization of ZnO NPs-doped PMMA-BDK-MR polymer-coated thin films with UV curing for optical data storage applications

Hybrid material of poly-methyle-methacrylate (PMMA)-benzyl-dimethyl-ketal-azo dye methyl red (MR) thin film composites doped by various concentrations of ZnO NPs have been dip coated on glass substrates. The existence of azo dye (MR) in the composite was intentional to give the solution the desired pH level and to induce thecis <-> transcycles through illumination <-> thermal relaxation. The optical and structural properties of the as-prepared thin films are investigated in relevance to ZnO NPs contents and the period of UV light illumination (short- and long-wavelength UV light). We found that the PMMA-BDK-MR doped by 1% ZnO NPs could be successfully used in optical data storage by implementing this composite in the WRITE/READ/ERASE cycle repeatedly. Specifically, it was found that the absorption band of the PMMA-BDK-MR doped by 1% ZnO NPs thin film lies between 350 and 600 nm upon illumination with 366 nm UV light for 10 s. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) was used to investigate the thermal stability of PMMA-BDK-MR/ZnO NPs. The TGA results are presented and interpreted. Furthermore, we investigated annealed poly-methyle-methacrylate-benzyl-dimethyl-ketal-methyl-red (PMMA-BDK-MR) doped by 1% ZnO NPs thin films. Thetrans-ciscycle has been repeated sequentially to confirm the hysteresis behavior for possible data READ/WRITE or ERASE memory applications.

Automated summary

The optical and structural properties of PMMA-BDK-MR film composites doped with various concentrations of ZnO NPs were investigated. The 1% ZnO NPs doped composite showed potential for optical data storage and repeated cycles of use. Thermogravimetric analysis was used to study the thermal stability of the composite, revealing possible applications in data storage.