Methylammonium lead iodide/poly(methyl methacrylate) nanocomposite films for photocatalytic applications

Abstract

Inspired by the skyrocketing in the photovoltaics arena and their exceptionally semiconducting properties, we reported the first synthesis of (MAPbI3)/PMMA polymeric film as a promising candidate for photocatalysis. This work was intended to investigate the structure, optical, morphology, topography, electrical, and THz properties of new (MAPbI3)/PMMA nanocomposites. The wisdom behind the incorporation of MAPbI3 into Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) is to prevent it from degradation and enhance the reusability and photocatalytic activity. MAPbI3 nanocrystals were synthesized by a facile modified solution deposition method and then loaded to PMMA by 3, 5, and 7 wt %. The XRD revealed the presence of two highly crystalline phases; MAPbI3 and Pb0.5I2, which are formed in tetragonal phase. Similarly, the selected area electron diffraction pattern (SAED) and Fourier transformer infrared (FTIR) substantiated the formation of MAPbI3 and Pb0.5I2 phases. The purity of nanocomposites was investigated by the energy dispersive X-ray analysis, which established the absence of any impurity peaks. The micrograph images conducted by field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) demonstrated that the particle has formed in rods and cubes in the nanoscale range. The optical investigation unraveled the presence of three electronic transitions and disclosed that the band gap changed from 4.35 for pristine PMMA to 2.44 eV for 7 wt % MAPbI3- loaded PMMA. Terahertz time-domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS) unveiled that insertion of MAPbI3 boosted the absorption coefficient (αTHz) and clearly show two peaks corresponding to two modes of the Pb–I vibrations. The values of ε′ and ε" increased with increasing MAPbI3 content owing to interfacial polarization effects. For all proportions under examination, the conductivity (σac) follows a power law relation governed by electronic hopping processes. Besides, PMMA/MAPbI3 nanocomposites achieve antistatic behavior.