Effect of addition of TiO2 nanoparticles on structural and dielectric properties of polystyrene/polyvinyl chloride polymer blend
Laila H. Gaabour
Abstract
The present study deals with the effect of the addition of pure titanium oxide nanoparticles (TiO2 NPs) prepared by the sol–gel technique on a polystyrene (PS)/polyvinylchloride (PVC) polymer blend of a composition of 50/50 wt. % using the casting method. X-ray diffraction (XRD), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy, and energy dispersive x-ray analysis confirmed the preparation of TiO2 NPs in semi-spherical shapes, with the average particle size ranging from 7 to 22 nm. The structural, optical, and dielectric properties of the prepared polymer nanocomposite films are restudied using different tools. In addition, the dielectric properties are studied. XRD and Attenuated Total Reflection-Fourier Transform Infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy confirmed the complexation and interaction between the PS/PVC polymer blend and TiO2 NPs. HRSEM images reveal that TiO2 NPs appeared as white spots inside the spherical domain of PS/PVC matrices. Optical properties such as absorbance, reflection, bandgap energy, refractive index, and optical dielectric (constant and loss) are studied. These results revealed that TiO2 NPs create inter-bands between valence and conduction bands. The addition of TiO2 NPs to the PS/PVC blend improves the electrical conductivity of the PS/PVC blend due to charge carrier buildup and increased polymeric chain segmental mobility inside the polymeric matrices.