Investigation of structural and optical features of polyvinyl alcohol films doped with Nd2O3 nanoparticles for UV shielding

In the present work, the polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) matrix was reinforced with various contents of Nd2O3 nanoparticles (from 1 to 3.8 wt%) to form PVA-Nd2O3 nanocomposite films via the casting technique. The PVA-Nd2O3 films were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), scanning electron microscope (SEM), and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) techniques. The XRD analysis revealed the presence of Nd2O3 in the nanoscale and the presence of Nd(OH)(3) due to the adsorption of water vapor from the air. The Nd2O3 additive to the PVA matrix causes an alternation in the PVA structure, which appears in the change in the PVA characteristic peak. Raman analysis of the PVA-Nd2O3 films showed the presence of A(g) and E-1g modes and bands at 470 and 750 cm(- 1) produced by the Nd-O-H deformation brought on by OH-rotation. The PVA film showed a decrease in film transparency and an increase in absorbance with the addition of Nd2O3 nanoparticles to the matrix. Moreover, there was a decline in the PVA bandgap energy from 5.43 eV to 3.32 eV for the undoped PVA film and doped with 3.8 wt.%Nd2O3, respectively. The addition of Nd2O3 to the PVA matrix improved other optical characteristics such as optical basicity, electronegativity, metallization criteria, and linear refractive index. The obtained PVA-Nd2O3 films are candidate options for electronic and photonic applications.