Polymer Testing (Jul 2023)
Study of the photoluminescence, optical, thermal, and electrical parameters of the Cs/PVP blend/zinc oxide nanorods films for energy storage devices
Abstract
In this research, well-crystallized zinc oxide nanorods (ZnO NRs) were produced via a solid-state synthesis. Then, employing the casting method, doped chitosan/polyvinyl pyrrolidone (Cs/PVP) blended polymers with different concentrations of ZnO NRs were created. The wurtzite structure of ZnO was determined using XRD. The sample became increasingly amorphous up to a content of 1.5 wt% ZnO NRs, as shown by the XRD examination. TEM measurements of the ZnO nanorods show that their lengths range from 200 to 300 nm and their diameters are between 40 and 80 nm. FTIR analysis has been used to study the relationship between the polymer blend and ZnO NRs. The absorbance, transmittance, and reflectance spectra obtained from the diffused reflectance technique were utilized to study optical characteristics. With the addition of ZnO NRs to the polymer matrix, the optical band-gap narrows while the Urbach energy (tail bandwidth), extinction coefficient, refractive index, and optical conductivity increase. A photoemission peak at about 470 nm was visible in the PL spectra of films made of polymer nanocomposites. At normal temperature, polymer nanocomposites containing 1.5 wt% ZnO NRs had a greater ionic conductivity of 4.2 × 10−5 Scm−1. Studies on electric modulus and dielectric permittivity have also been conducted in order to comprehend the conductivity relaxation and charge storage characteristics. The Cs/PVP-ZnO nanocomposite is more suitable for use in thin-film solar cell applications and energy storage device applications because the decrease in band gap energy and values of the PL were typically accompanied by an increase in the dielectric and conductivity.
