Influence of Al 2 O 3 nanoparticles on the structural, optical, and electrical properties of PVC/PS nanocomposite for use in optoelectronic devices

Nanocomposite films possessing favorable optical and electrical characteristics were fabricated by the process of solution casting, wherein Al 2 O 3 nanoparticles (Al 2 O 3 NPs) were included into a polymer blend consisting of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and polystyrene (PS). X-ray diffraction (XRD) research verified that the inclusion of Al 2 O 3 nanoparticles into the PVC/PS composite decreased the crystallinity of the resultant nanocomposites. Additional diffraction peaks emerged at an angle of 66.6 degrees at high loading of Al 2 O 3 . These peaks were identified as originating from the Al 2 O 3 nanoparticles. The FTIR analysis showed prominent distinctive peaks at 1603 cm-1 , which can be attributed to the Al-O vibrational groups. This suggests that there is an interaction between the PVC/PS polymer blend and the Al 2 O 3 NPs. The UV-Vis spectra of the PVC/PS blend showed a peak in absorbance at 238 nm, which is linked to the pi -> pi * transition. The optical band gap exhibited a drop in value, specifically from 4.13 to 4.02 eV for direct transitions and from 3.66 to 3.39 eV for indirect transitions, as the Al 2 O 3 content increased from 0 to 30 wt%. The utilization of Al 2 O 3 in the PVC/PS matrix was seen to enhance porosity and generate cavities, as demonstrated by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). The 20 wt% Al 2 O 3 sample exhibited the maximum surface roughness. AC dielectric spectroscopy revealed that the addition of 30 wt % Al 2 O 3 nanoparticles to the PVC/PS blend resulted in an improvement in electrical conductivity. In addition, when the concentration of nanoparticles was increased from 0 to 30 wt%, there was a corresponding rise in the dielectric constant from 0.3 to 4.0 at a frequency of 100 Hz and the dielectric loss from 0.01 to 0.42. The addition of Al 2 O 3 nanoparticles leads to a decrease in the optical band gap and an improvement in the electrical characteristics. This indicates that the produced nanocomposites have potential uses in optoelectronic devices.