Impact of Ag Nanoparticles on the Spectral and Optical Properties of Electrospun Nanofibrous Poly(vinyl alcohol)–Poly(acrylamide)

Abstract

Nanofibers based on the polymer mixture that was associated with poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and poly(acrylamide) (PAAm) (50/50 wt.%) doped with different ratios of silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) were successfully synthesized using electrospun method, which was performed at room temperature (RT) and high voltage (12 kV). The products were studied using techniques including scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and ultraviolet–visible absorption spectroscopy. SEM results show uniform structures and a smooth surface without particles visible on the surface of the nanofibers. Also, SEM images show that the average diameter of polymer blend nanofibers is 157.40 nm and decreases with the increasing concentration of Ag NPs. The small capacity of the carbonyl group to operate as a powerful electron donor for interacting with [Formula: see text] cation is shown by the fact that the FTIR signal strength decreases with increasing dopant concentration, indicating an increase in the basicity of the major functional groups. The X-ray diffraction pattern results confirm the amorphous nature (nano-crystalline) of the PVA–PAAm. The XRD results show that the crystallite size increases with the increase of the concentration of Ag and the peaks of weak intensity at a concentration of 6% agree with Ag in the cubic structure. Indirect allowed and forbidden transition optical energy gap values decreased with increasing Ag NPs content. The effect of doping on the other parameters (absorption coefficients, refraction index and extinction coefficient) of different blend behavior was investigated in detail which qualifies them for solar cell applications.