Incorporated TiO₂ nanoparticles into PVC/PMMA polymer blend for enhancing the optical and electrical/dielectric properties: Hybrid nanocomposite films for flexible optoelectronic devices

Abstract

In the present work, sol–gel‐synthesized titanium oxide nanoparticles (TiO2 NPs) were added to polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) to create polymer nanocomposites (PNCs) samples. The preparation was carried out via the solution casting method. The synthesized TiO2 NPs have a tetragonal anatase phase and an average grain size of 15.7 nm. XRD analysis reveals that the TiO2 NPs' addition to PVC/PMMA causes a decrease in the crystallinity of PNCs films. Infrared Fourier analysis demonstrated the interplay/complexity between the PVC/PMMA blend and TiO2 NPs. The UV/visible spectrum of the PVC/PMMA blend showed two absorbance peaks at 278 and 208 nm, which may result from the n → π* and π → π* transitions. Also, optical bandgaps for indirect and direct allowed transitions decreased with increasing TiO2 NPs concentration. The samples' AC electrical conductivity and dielectric properties were measured at room temperature. As the TiO2 NPs content in the nanocomposite rises, a percolating network begins to emerge inside the composite, demonstrating that AC electrical conductivity obeys Jonscher's law. Additionally, it has been demonstrated that nanoparticle concentration leads to a higher composite dielectric loss and dielectric constant. These findings suggest the possibility of using the prepared nanocomposites in capacitive energy storage and optoelectronic devices.Highlights PVC/PMMA‐TiO2 nanocomposites' films were fabricated via the solution casting method. Adding TiO2 NPs to PVC/PMMA reduces the crystallinity of the PNCs films. The allowed direct and indirect bandgaps decreased with rising TiO2 NPs content. AC conductivity, impedance, and dielectric characteristics were discussed. The findings indicate the use of prepared samples in optoelectronic devices.

Gamma radiation impact on dielectrics and RH sensitivity of nylon–carbon–GNP–epoxy composites

“…It is also very clear that the γ‐irradiation has further improved the sensitivity of the composites to RH variations. Thus, the sensitivity of the composites to humidity variations is certainly very high compared to that reported earlier, which is only about ~1 pF/%RH that too by modifying the polymer structure 17,27 . The sensitivity of interleaved composite at 500 Hz, which is 7 pF/% RH in composites B and B1 and 22 pF/%RH in composite B3, is also higher.…”

“…The typical sensitivity at 100 Hz is 40 pF/RH% in B3 and 8–9 pF/RH% in B1 and B. For conventional polymer nanocomposites, the present sensitivity is very high 17–24,28–30 . Typically, the sensitivity of the polymer composites is low when low weight percent (wt%) of carbon filler is used.…”

“…It is true that use of polymeric materials in electronic devices and energy storage applications are on the quick rise 17,18 with the barrier properties of fillers like graphene nanoplatelets (GNP) exploited for different applications. Of late, polymers are being considered for moisture/RH sensing in structural composites diagnostics since the capacitance can be tailored by modifying the structure of the composite, which in turn depends on the filler components and their weight percentage.…”

Synthesis and characterization of PEG/CS‐AgNO3 polymer nanocomposites for flexible optoelectronic and energy storage applications

“…The experimental procedure involves subjecting the samples to a sinusoidal voltage with variable frequencies while monitoring both the current amplitude and phase. Assuming that the frequency of the applied signal is denoted as “f,” the calculation of AC conductivity proceeds as follows 37 : …”

Chemical surface modification for RO membranes based on GO‐mixed polymers for water desalination and biofouling study

“…In this study, interfacial polymerization was used to create the aromatic polyamide TFC RO membranes. Then, the hydrophilic methacrylic acid (PMAA) graft polymerization was used to modify the membranes' surface, 34,35 and the performance of the membranes was examined in relation to different polyamide and polymethacrylic acid surface layers. Additionally, after covering the membrane surface with graphene oxide (GO) nanoparticles and a polymethacrylic layer, 36,37 the performance of RO membranes was investigated.…”