Effect of laser irradiation on structural, linear and nonlinear optical characteristics of PVP/CMC/ZnS–NiO blends

Abstract

PVP/CMC/ZnS–NiO blends were produced by casting, solgel and solid state reactions methods. Both ZnS and NiO have a nanonature with a crystallite size of 3 and 70 nm, respectively. The effect of laser irradiation with different energies (70–150) mJ/cm2 on the structural and morphology of the blends was investigated using x-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy techniques. The optical bandgap energy values decreased gradually from 4.5 eV (for unirradiated blend) to reach 4.1 eV (for blends irradiated with higher laser energy of 150 mJ/cm2) in the case of direct transition, while for indirect transition, values decrease from 3.4 to 3 eV. The effect of laser irradiation on the absorption, transmittance, extinction coefficient, refractive index, dielectric parameters, optical conductivity, and the nonlinear parameters of the blends was examined using UV spectrophotometer technique. The enhancements in both optical and structural properties play a necessary role as a strong support for the future use of polyvinyl pyrrolidone/carboxymethyl cellulose nanocomposite blends in the field of optoelectronic devices applications.