Evaluation of the spectroscopic ellipsometry and dielectric properties of Cr2O3 nanoparticles doped PVDF thin films for future application of organic ferroelectric junctions

Here, we report the synthesis of Cr2O3 nanoparticles via ethylene glycol assisted microwave approach. Thin films of Cr2O3 nanoparticles doped Poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF), at a variety concentrations (0.01-0.09 wt%), were prepared by spin-coating technique on quartz substrate with thickness of 200 nm. The influence of the concentrations of Cr2O3 nanoparticles on the structural, morphological, optical and dielectric properties of the PVDF is examined. The optical properties of the Cr2O3/PVDF thin films were examined by the ellipsometry and fitted by Forouhi-Bloomer model. The doping of PVDF by 0.05 wt% of Cr2O3 nanoparticles showed an enhancement of the index of refraction compared to the neat PVDF. A remarkable enhancement of the dielectric constant was achieved when the PVDF film doped with 0.05 wt% of Cr2O3 nanoparticles with 35 orders of magnitude compared to the neat PVDF film, owing to the Maxwell-Wagner-Sillars polarization effect. This results in an enhancement of the ferroelectric properties of the PVDF by increasing its remnant polarization from 8.7 mu C/cm(2) to 12.1 mu C/cm(2). These superior properties may enable the developed Cr2O3/PVDF films to be a potential candidate in the field of organic ferroelectric random access memory junctions. (C) 2017 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.