Abstract
The structure and optical properties of polyethylene oxide (PEO) doped with tin titanate (SnTiO3) nano-filler were studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and UV-Vis spectroscopy as non-destructive techniques. PEO-based composed polymer electrolytes inserted with SnTiO3 nano-particles (NPs) were synthesized through the solution cast technique. The change from crystalline phase to amorphous phase of the host polymer was established by the lowering of the intensity and broadening of the crystalline peaks. The optical constants of PEO/SnTiO3 nano-composite (NC), such as, refractive index (n), optical absorption coefficient (α), dielectric loss (εi), as well as dielectric constant (εr) were determined for pure PEO and PEO/SnTiO3 NC. From these findings, the value of n of PEO altered from 2.13 to 2.47 upon the addition of 4 wt.% SnTiO3NPs. The value of εr also increased from 4.5 to 6.3, with addition of 4 wt.% SnTiO3. The fundamental optical absorption edge of the PEO shifted toward lower photon energy upon the addition of the SnTiO3 NPs, confirming a decrement in the optical band gap energy of PEO. The band gap shifted from 4.78 eV to 4.612 eV for PEO-doped with 4 wt.% SnTiO3. The nature of electronic transitions in the pure and the composite material were studied on the basis of Tauc’s model, while optical εi examination was also carried out to calculate the optical band gap.
Highlights
Over the last three decades, polymer materials have been studied extensively for their potential applications, with a focus on developing various polymers to replace the utilization of metals [1].Materials 2020, 13, 2979; doi:10.3390/ma13132979 www.mdpi.com/journal/materialsFor this purpose, several strategies have been established for the synthesis of many advanced polymer nano-composites (NCs) using semiconductors and metals [2]
Previous studies established that polyethylene oxide (PEO) based polymer composites are significant for diverse optoelectronics applications including sensors, solar cells, transistors, diodes, capacitors, and energy storage [68,69]
It is suggested from the optical band gap decrement that the electronic structure of the PEO molecules
Summary
Over the last three decades, polymer materials have been studied extensively for their potential applications, with a focus on developing various polymers to replace the utilization of metals [1] For this purpose, several strategies have been established for the synthesis of many advanced polymer nano-composites (NCs) using semiconductors and metals [2]. SnTiO3 material possesses elastic properties which are vital for basic familiarization with inter-atomic potentials (inter-atomic bonding) As a consequence, this material exhibits relatively high εr [32,33]. Enhancements of optical characteristics of the PEO/SnTiO3 nano-composite have been achieved, namely, relatively high n, εr , and transparency. It is shown that the current methodology might offer an alternative for the band gap energy and precisely determining the kind of electronic transitions
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