Optical Dielectric Loss as a Novel Approach to Specify the Types of Electron Transition: XRD and UV-vis as a Non-Destructive Techniques for Structural and Optical Characterization of PEO Based Nanocomposites

Dana S Muhammed; Mohamad A Brza; Muaffaq M Nofal; Shujahadeen B Aziz; Sarkawt A Hussen; Rebar T Abdulwahid

doi:10.3390/ma13132979

Optical Dielectric Loss as a Novel Approach to Specify the Types of Electron Transition: XRD and UV-vis as a Non-Destructive Techniques for Structural and Optical Characterization of PEO Based Nanocomposites

Materials (Basel). 2020 Jul 3;13(13):2979. doi: 10.3390/ma13132979.

Authors

Dana S Muhammed¹, Mohamad A Brza^{2

3}, Muaffaq M Nofal⁴, Shujahadeen B Aziz^{3

5}, Sarkawt A Hussen³, Rebar T Abdulwahid^{1

3}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Physics, College of Basic Education, University of Sulaimani, Qlyasan Street, Sulaimani 46001, Iraq.
² Department of Manufacturing and Materials Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, International Islamic University of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Gombak 53100, Malaysia.
³ Hameed Majid Advanced Polymeric Materials Research Lab., Department of Physics, College of Science, University of Sulaimani, Qlyasan Street, Sulaimani 46001, Iraq.
⁴ Department of Mathematics and General Sciences, Prince Sultan University, P.O. Box 66833, Riyadh 11586, Saudi Arabia.
⁵ Department of Civil Engineering, College of Engineering, Komar University of Science and Technology, Sulaimani 46001, Iraq.

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 (ε_i), as well as dielectric constant (ε_r) 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 ε_r 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 ε_i examination was also carried out to calculate the optical band gap.

Keywords: PEO polymer nano-composite; SnTiO3 nano-particles; UV-vis analysis; XRD; optical properties.