Optical properties and structural characteristics of zinc oxide-cerium oxide doped polyvinyl alcohol films

Influence of zinc oxide-cerium oxide (ZnO-Ce2O3) nanoparticles on the structural characteristics and optical properties of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) films have been investigated. The fabricated PVA/ZnO-Ce2O3 nanocomposite films have been characterized by UV-visible spectroscopy, photoluminescence spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The UV-vis analysis reveals the interaction of ZnO-Ce2O3 nanoparticles through hydroxyl groups of PVA. Photoluminescence spectra shows intense emission peaks due to the presence of ZnO-Ce2O3 nanoparticles. Microwave irradiation analysis shows the effect of nanoparticles on the degradation profile of PVA. The band gap energy measured based on UV-vis analysis shows enhanced conductivity of PVA films. XRD analysis shows the effect of annealing temperature on the XRD patterns of PVA. DSC analysis shows reduction in percentage of crystallinity with an increase in annealing temperatures and nanoparticles concentration. Thermal analysis by TGA shows enhanced thermal stability for the nanocomposites as compared to the PVA matrix. The data generated from these investigations will support the PVA nanocomposites for possible applications in opto-electronic devices. (C) 2013 Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved.