Studies of composite films incorporating inorganic materials are of immense importance for current technological applications. Polyimide (PI) composite thin films incorporating indium tin oxide (ITO) at various weight ratios were processed using an in situ generation approach. The resultant product was imidized up to 350 • C to test the ability of the material to endure high temperatures without affecting the host matrix. The morphological behaviour of the PI/ITO composite films was investigated using Fourier transform infrared, scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy characterization techniques. The degrees of crystallinity and ITO particle size within the PI matrix were studied using X-ray diffraction. The thermal, structural and electrical properties were analysed using thermogravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, UV-visible spectroscopy and the four-probe technique. The micromechanical properties of the composites were evaluated in terms of tensile strength, tensile modulus and elongation. An overall improvement in the properties of the composite films was observed in comparison to those of pure PI. The synergistic improvement in the composite films is associated with the interaction mechanism between ITO and PI, where ITO becomes dispersed and interacts within the PI matrix. This leads to a decrease in available free-space volume and increases the surface enrichment providing reinforcement to the matrix.
Transparent films of pure and Laser dye Coumarin (%wt) doped Poly (Methyl Methacrylate) (PMMA), were prepared using solution cast technique. Samples were characterized using optical absorption spectroscopy (UV-Vis) and absorption spectra were recorded at ambient temperature for wavelengths ranging from 190 nm to 1100 nm. Electronic transition type, optical band gap energy (Eg) and associated band tails (Urbach energy 'Eu' and Weak absorption tail (WAT) energy 'Ew') were estimated for the prepared samples.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.