Investigate the Physical Properties and Transmitted sunlight of PVC/PMMA/ ZnO Nanocomposite Films

Abstract

Pure blend (PVC0.3g +PMMA 0.2g) and blend/ZnO nanocomposite films with different amounts were created using the solution casting technique. Different amounts of zinc oxide from (0.001, 0.002, 0.003, 0.004, and 0.005)g were investigated and added to blend polymer with a fixed amount (0.5) g of PVC/PMMA in 15ml tetrahydrofuran (THF). The XRD results demonstrated the amorphous structure of the admixture film and the hexagonal crystal structure of ZnONPs. The ZnONPs in the film were also atomically dispersed resulting in the incorporation of the ZnONPs peaks within the polymer matrix. FESEM image of the mixture and ZnO revealing small white spots scattered on the surface of the mixture with some agglomerates. FTIR spectroscopy data showed no chemical interaction between the polymer blend and ZnONPs. The increasing amounts of ZnONPs improved the absorbance, absorption coefficient, and extinction coefficient of the blend polymer. The blended polymer's permeability and energy gap decreased from 4.48eV to 3.91eV with the increase in the number of ZnONPs in the nanocomposites. The transmitted sunlight intensity was measured through the blended pure polymer films and the blended nanocomposites/ZnO nanocomposites. At the beginning of September 2021, the intensity of transmitted sunlight was measured in Baghdad for a period of 7 days. As can be observed, almost all films have the same ratio of the intensity of transmitted radiation to the intensity of sunlight for all hours and days.