Amorphous Silica Np-Embedded-Polymer Nanocomposites with Enhanced Optical and Dielectric Properties

Inorganic filler and polymer matrix based PP + SiO(2)nanocomposites have been prepared by the hot pressing method. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffractometer(XRD) were used for structure investigation. It was found that the average size of the nanoparticles is around 50 nm. Photoluminescence properties of PP + SiO(2)nanocomposite and the effect of concentration of the SiO(2)nanofiller on dielectric and electrical dispersion behavior of the nanocomposite have been investigated. Besides, it was shown that the dielectric permittivity of PP + SiO(2)nanocomposite samples was gradually increased with raising filler content. Furthermore, it was observed a significant decreasing in the values of the epsilon ' and delta parameters of the nanocomposites in the 10(3)-10(6)Hs frequency range for all concentrations of filler. This decrease perhaps associated with the interphase polarization of the PP + SiO(2)nanocomposites. It was also shown that PP + SiO(2)nanocomposite demonstrates wide-band photoluminescence in visible region (400-700nm) when the excitation wavelength is 370 nm. This is due to the defects of SiO(2)nanoparticles embedded in the polymer matrix, and more precisely, with presence of oxygen-deficiency centers.