Optical and Dielectric Features of PVA/CMC/PVP/ZnMn₂O₄/CuCo₂O₄/x wt% MWCNTs Blended Polymers for Optoelectronic Applications

Abstract

This study is devoted to optimizing the optical and dielectric parameters of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)/ carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC)/ polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) blended polymer by adding ZnMn2O4/CuCo2O4 nanocomposite and controlling the amounts of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) to engage them in flexible optoelectronics and storage energy capacitors. Herein, 0.9ZnMn2O4/0.1CuCo2O4 was synthesized by co-precipitation and hydrothermal methods and loaded with different ratios of MWCNTs into PVA/CMC/PVP blend to produce films by solution casting procedure. The crystallite size of 0.9ZnMn2O4/0.1CuCo2O4 was determined using transmission electron microscopy. The structures of the filler and doped blends were explored via the X-ray diffraction technique. The optical features of undoped and doped blends were explored by diffused reflectance and fluorescence spectrophotometers. The addition of ZnMn2O4/CuCo2O4 to PVA/CMC/PVP caused a decline of direct and indirect optical band gaps from 5.33 and 5.03 eV to 5.19 and 4.66 eV, respectively. By adding different amounts of MWCNTs, the direct/indirect optical band gap reduced irregularly, and they attained their minimum values (5.07, 4.46) eV as it doped with 0.6 Wt% MWCNTs. The highest values of refractive index, extinction coefficient, optical conductivity and nonlinear optical parameters were achieved in the blend containing ZnMn2O4/CuCo2O4/0.6 Wt% MWCNTs. It is also found that the dielectric constant and ac conductivity rose with the insertion of ZnMn2O4/CuCo2O4/0.6 Wt% MWCNTs. The highest energy density value was found in the polymer blend of PVA/CMC/PVP/ZnMn2O4/CuCo2O4/0.8 Wt% MWCNTs blended polymer. Electrical modulus and Nyquist plots for different blends were also examined. The results recommend the doped blends as a good candidate for optoelectronics and energy storage capacitor applications.