Structural, optical, mechanical, and dielectric properties studies of carboxymethyl cellulose/polyacrylamide/lithium titanate nanocomposites films as an application in energy storage devices

Abstract

Carboxymethyl cellulose/polyacrylamide (CMC/PAM) blend was used as a matrix material for fabricating nanocomposite samples reinforced with the cubic lithium titanate nanoparticles (Li4Ti5O12 NPs, particle size <55 nm) by the solution casting method. The structural, optical, thermal, mechanical, and dielectric properties of the nanocomposite were investigated. The CMC/PAM structure's increased amorphous areas and the existence of hydrogen and coordination bonds in the nanocomposite samples were both revealed by the XRD and FT-IR spectra. The optical measurements indicated the absorbance significantly improved and the energy band gap decreased as indicated in the UV–Visible spectra. Due to interactions between the polymer and nanoparticles and the fine dispersion of NPs, the inclusion of Li4Ti5O12 NPs improved the thermal stability at high temperatures of CMC/PAM, according to the results of TGA thermograms. The mechanical properties of the CMC/PAM were improved by addition of the nanofiller. The dielectric parameters, such as the dielectric permittivity and modulus spectra, of nanocomposite films were also reported, where these parameters can be advantageously tuned with Li4Ti5O12 content in the CMC/PAM blend that depicts them as attractive biodegradable polymer nano-dielectrics. The relaxation process and predominant effect of interfacial polarization within these hybrid samples are reported. The obtained results depict multifunctionality of these nanocomposite films as optical band gap tuner, development of solid polymer electrolyte, dielectric permittivity controllable nanodielectrics for preparation of high-density energy storing/advanced microelectronic devices.