Preparation and Characterization of PVA Composite Membranes with TiO2 and TiO2/ZrO2 Nanoparticles: A Comparative Study

Background: This study presents the successful fabrication of composite membranes composed of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) polymer blended with titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles and a combination of titanium dioxide/zirconium dioxide (TiO2/ZrO2) nanoparticles. The features of composite membranes were analyzed with a specific focus on comparing the characteristics of PVA/TiO2 and PVA/TiO2/ZrO2 composite membranes. Methods: TiO2 and ZrO2 nanoparticles were prepared using the sol-gel method. PVA/TiO2 and PVA/TiO2/ZrO2 composite membranes were fabricated utilizing the solution casting method. A controlled method of production of nanoparticles and their uniform dispersion inside the polymer matrix are the key components contributing to the success of this approach. TiO2 and ZrO2 nanoparticles and their composite membranes were characterized through various characterization methods encompassing X-ray diffraction (XRD) study, UV-visible absorption spectroscopy, photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy (AFM) analysis. Results: The XRD study revealed improved crystallinity in composite membranes. The PVA/TiO2/ZrO2 membrane possessed a greater level of crystallinity than the PVA/TiO2 membrane. The composite membranes exhibited enhanced absorption and PL behaviour. The FTIR spectra revealed the creation of a charge-transfer complex among the PVA, TiO2 and ZrO2. The AFM study indicates that surface roughness increases after doping. Conclusions: Good concurrence is established between grain size calculated by XRD and TEM. PVA/TiO2/ZrO(2 )exhibits more improved characteristics than PVA/TiO2 because of the composite versatile properties resulting from the combining of two inorganic structural components with polymer. Such characteristics render it an appealing option for optical and optoelectronic device applications.