Ion Implantation of Silver Nanoparticles on Electrodeposited Polycarbazole Via Plasma Sputter Type Negative Ion Sources

Abstract

The discovery of conducting polymer has brought tremendous advancement in developing various polymeric materials, Carbazole pendants of poly(ethyl methacrylate) was cross-linked via an electrochemical route. The obtained film of poly( carbazole ethyl methacrylate) electrodeposited on the surface of indium tin oxide (ITO) was modified by implanting silver nanoparticles on its surface. This was done using Plasma Sputter-type Negative Ion Sources (PSTNIS) The modified and unmodified films of polycarbazole were characterized to assess its properties. Implanting silver nanoparticles on the surface of the cross-linked polymer abruptly changed its surface roughness, absorbance in the visible region and its current-voltage characteristic. A more pronounced diode-like characteristic was observed with a turn-on voltage of ∼0.4V. Investigation and tailoring the properties of electropolymerized carbazole attached to poly (ethyl methacrylate) backbone with implanted silver nanoparticles could lead to important materials with impact in optoelectronic devices.