In this present work, a PVA/PVP-blend polymer was doped with various concentrations of neodymium oxide (PB-Nd+3) composite films using the solution casting technique. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis was used to investigate the composite structure and proved the semi-crystallinity of the pure PVA/PVP polymeric sample. Furthermore, Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) analysis, a chemical-structure tool, illustrated a significant interaction of PB-Nd+3 elements in the polymeric blends. The transmittance data reached 88% for the host PVA/PVP blend matrix, while the absorption increased with the high dopant quantities of PB-Nd+3. The absorption spectrum fitting (ASF) and Tauc’s models optically estimated the direct and indirect energy bandgaps, where the addition of PB-Nd+3 concentrations resulted in a drop in the energy bandgap values. A remarkably higher quantity of Urbach energy for the investigated composite films was observed with the increase in the PB-Nd+3 contents. Moreover, seven theoretical equations were utilized, in this current research, to indicate the correlation between the refractive index and the energy bandgap. The indirect bandgaps for the proposed composites were evaluated to be in the range of 5.6 eV to 4.82 eV; in addition, the direct energy gaps decreased from 6.09 eV to 5.83 eV as the dopant ratios increased. The nonlinear optical parameters were influenced by adding PB-Nd+3, which tended to increase the values. The PB-Nd+3 composite films enhanced the optical limiting effects and offered a cut-off laser in the visible region. The real and imaginary parts of the dielectric permittivity of the blend polymer embedded in PB-Nd+3 increased in the low-frequency region. The AC conductivity and nonlinear I-V characteristics were augmented with the doping level of PB-Nd+3 contents in the blended PVA/PVP polymer. The outstanding findings regarding the structural, electrical, optical, and dielectric performance of the proposed materials show that the new PB-Nd+3-doped PVA/PVP composite polymeric films are applicable in optoelectronics, cut-off lasers, and electrical devices.
ZnO-doped Polyvinyl alcohol/polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVA/PVP) polymeric films were prepared in this study through an easy and inexpensive solution-casting method. The scope of the study was based on the structural, dielectric, and optical parameters, as well as on the optical limiting effects of the ZnO-doped polymer blend (PB) as nanocomposite films. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis indicated that the synthesized nanocomposites were semicrystalline. The calculated crystalline size of the polymeric semicrystalline peak decreased as ZnO increased or enhanced the blend polymer. Fourier’s transformer infrared (FT-IR) study confirmed a substantial dispersion of ZnO nanoparticles in a polymeric PVA/PVP matrix. The optical absorption properties suggested focusing on the surface plasmonic peak (SPR). The refractive index values ranged from 1.718 for the pure PB ZnO0 sample in the Hossam, Ibrahim, and Heba model to 3.036 for the PB ZnO5 film from the Anani model. Nonlinear optical parameters (χ^((3)), and n(2)) were calculated and analyzed for the PB ZnO nanocomposite films under investigation. The maximum value for χ^((1)) was 0.550, while for χ^((3)), its susceptibility value was 155.85 × 10−13 esu, and for the nonlinear refractive index (n^((2)), it was 20.87 × 10−11 esu. A gradual decrease was revealed in the optical limiting sources, as a high content of ZnO was induced in the blend PVA/PVP polymer. Due to their unique properties, these materials can be used in electronic and optoelectronic devices.
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