Structural, linear and nonlinear optical properties of poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA)/polyethylene glycol (PEG)/SnS<inf>2</inf>:Y nanocomposite films

Abstract

Poly (vinyl alcohol), polyethylene glycol, and nano SnS2/Y blends were fabricated by thermolysis and casting procedures. The nano nature of the filler SnS2/Y was examined applying X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning and transmission electron microscope (SEM and TEM), and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) techniques. Rietveld analysis revealed anisotropic crystallite size, 14.2 nm along [h00] direction and 5.2 nm along [00 l], which is confirmed by the TEM image disclosing particles of cylindrical shape. X-ray diffractograms recorded for the 0.7PVA/0.3PEG blend showed a large diffuse scattering background overlapped with characteristic peaks of PVA and PEG; loading the blend with SnS2/Y affected the positions of these peaks. SEM images of loaded polymer blends exhibited homogenous surface morphology with uniform nanofiller distribution. The corresponding EDS analysis yielded elemental composition and percentages in accordance with the composition of the loaded different blends. Utilizing the UV–vis absorbance and transmittance spectra, the changes of the various optical parameters of the SnS2/Y loaded PVA/PEG blends were investigated in detail for different loading values: 1%, 3%, 5%, and 10%. Loading the PVA/PEG blend with SnS2/Y had an obvious influence on the fluorescence spectra where the intensity and emitted colors depended on the ratios of nanofiller.