Influence of ZnO/Ag nanoparticles doping on the structural, thermal, optical and electrical properties of PAM/PEO composite

Abstract

Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) had been synthesized via sol-gel and the silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) had been synthesized via chemical synthesis. The XRD and TEM confirmed the formation of ZnO and Ag nanoparticles. A series of polyacrylamide and polyethylene oxide (PAM/PEO) blend films doped with ZnO NPs and various concentrations of Ag NPs were prepared by the solution casting method. The FTIR spectra and XRD studies indicate the structural changes taking place in the nanocomposites which confirmed the compatibility between ZnO/Ag NPs and pure blend. The optical energy gap decreases by the addition of ZnO and Ag nanoparticles. The TGA data showed that the stability of thermal of the all films enhanced after adding the ZnO and Ag nanoparticles. The dielectric and conductivity of the samples has been carried out by an impedance analyzer in the frequency range of 1.0 Hz–10.0 MHz at RT. It has been viewed that the conductivity raised with addition of the ZnO/Ag NPs due to an increase in the number of charges carrier. The dielectric constant reduces with a raise in the frequency for the samples prepared. These properties illustrate ZnO and Ag NPs doped PAM/PEO nanocomposites samples are a prominent material for potential applications.