Enhancement of Structural and Optical Properties of CMC/PAA Blend by Addition of Zirconium Carbide Nanoparticles for Optics and Photonics Applications

Abstract

Nanocomposites of (CMC-PAA-ZrC)  made with different nano zirconium carbide percentages by casting method (0, 1.5, 3, 4.5, and 6) wt%. The results showed that FTIR spectra shift in peak position and change in shape and intensity, compared with pure (CMC-PAA) blend. Microscopic photographs show a clear difference in the samples when increasing proportions of zirconium carbide nanoparticles, when the concentration of zirconium carbide NP reached 6% wt, the nanoparticles make up a continuous network inside (CMC-PAA) blend. Structural and optical characteristics have investigated the findings showed that the absorption of (CMC-PAA-ZrC) nanocomposites increases with increasing of ZrC NPs, while transmission decrease. The absorption coefficient, extinction coefficient, refractive index, real and imaginary parts of dielectric and optical conductivity are increasing with rises concentration of ZrC. Also optical energy gap decreased from 4.9 eV to 4.05 eV and from 4.5 eV to 3.65 eV for allowed and forbidden indirect transition respectively with increasing ZrC NPs. The results indicate that the (CMC-PAA-ZrC)  nanostructures can be considered as promising materials for optoelectronics applications.