Structural and optical properties of Ni nanoparticles embedded PMMA film

Abstract

Polymers are lightweight and flexible with good film forming capability while nanoparticles show novel properties which can be tuned as per need. So, by incorporating metal nanoparticles in polymer as host matrix, novel properties can be obtained. In the present paper, we present studies on Ni nanoparticles embedded in poly methyl methacrylate (PMMA) by ion beam sputtering (IBS). To the best of our knowledge, there is no report so far on Ni nanoparticles embedded in polymer by physical route. PMMA films were made on glass substrate by solution casting technique. Ni nanoparticles layer of 50 nm thickness was embedded in PMMA film by ion beam sputtering (IBS). Grazing incidence x-ray diffraction (GIXRD) results reveal that Ni is present in metallic form in FCC phase with particle size of about 6 nm. UV-Vis-NIR study of pristine polymer and PMMA/Ni nanocomposite shows that the band gap of PMMA decreases on incorporation of Ni nanoparticles. The presence of Ni SPR peak confirms the existence of Ni in nanosize level.