Synthesis of ZnSnO3 nanocubes and thin film fabrication of (ZnSnO3/PMMA) composite through electrospray deposition

A composite of zinc stannate (ZnSnO3) nanocubes and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) has been prepared and deposited on a flexible substrate polyethylene terephthalate (PET) through electrospray deposition (ESD). This fabrication technique has been found very effective for deposition of this composite as thin film. ZnSnO3 is an inorganic biocompatible and piezoelectric material while PMMA is a transparent and durable organic polymer material. ZnSnO3 naocubes have been synthesized via an aqueous solution method and ZnSnO3/PMMA composite has been deposited as thin film on PET through ESD. The average layer thickness of the as deposited ZnSnO3/PMMA composite film on PET was found to be 149 nm. Morphological and structural characterization of ZnSnO3 nanocubes through FESEM and XRD showed its size uniformity and crystalline nature. The size of the ZnSnO3 nanocubes was estimated by FESEM analysis which was around 50-70 nm. The chemical composition has been investigated with the help of FTIR and Raman spectroscopy. The optical characterization of as deposited ZnSnO3/PMMA composite film through UV/Vis spectroscopy showed an average transmittance of around 92 % and electrical characterization exhibited resistivity of approximately 50 x 10(5) Omega cm. This dielectric nature of ZnSnO3/PMMA composite film indicates that this composite material can be employed as dielectric layer in printed electronics.