Impact of gamma irradiation on some physical properties of PVA – Metal oxide nano composite films for optoelectronic devices

Abstract The dip casting method was used to prepare PVA/TiO₂, PVA/ZrO₂ and PVA/ Ti₅₀-Zr₅₀ thin films with different concentrations of both TiO₂ and ZrO₂ (0.02, 0.04, 0.06, 0.08, 0.1g). X-Ray diffractometer (XRD) was used to confirm the amorphous nature of PVA/Ti₅₀-Zr₅₀ and pure PVA thin films and a crystalline nature of PVA/TiO₂ and PVA/ZrO₂ thin films with different metal oxide content. Fourier transformation infrared spectrophotometer (FTIR) technique was used to study the molecular structure of all thin films in the ranges (500-4000cm⁻ ¹). The optical parameters such as absorption coefficient (α), extinction coefficient (K), optical conductivity (σopt), refractive index (n) and optical energy gap (Eg) were measured by ultraviolet-visible spectrometer (UV) for all thin films. From the optical parameters the doping of TiO₂, ZrO₂ and Ti₅₀−Zr₅₀ on PVA matrix make the thin films viable option for use in photocatalysts, optoelectronics, and UV- blocking materials. The lowest band gap is 2.62ev for PVA/Ti₅₀−Zr₅₀ demonstrates that increases optical transitions and defect states. The band gap for PVA/ Ti₅₀-Zr₅₀ film is the lowest, indicating that it can be candidate for solar cell application. The PVA/Ti₅₀-Zr₅₀ thin film irradiated by gamma irradiation at different doses: D₁ = 10kGy, D₂ = 20kGy and D₃ = 30kGy show decrease in absorbance due to the increase of amorphous nature by irradiation.