Synthesis, Characterization, and Studies of PVA/Co-Doped ZnO Nanocomposite Films

ABSTRACT

Polymer nanocomposites are made up of two or more phases wherein the inorganic particles are dispersed in a polymer matrix. The present article deals with Co-doped ZnO embedded in a polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) matrix using a sol-gel method. The synthesized nanocomposites were structurally characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and the optical properties were studied using photoluminescence and ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy. Thermal studies including thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) were conducted to the study stability of the nanocomposites.

KEYWORDS:

• solution phase
• nanostructures
• nanocomposites
• photoluminescence
• UV shielding

Acknowledgments

The authors thank the Vice Chancellor, DIAT, for giving us support toward publication. We thank ER&IPR, DRDO New Delhi for funding the project “DRDO-DIAT Programme on Nanomaterials.”