Tuning the optical properties of PMMA polymer by using subphthalocyanine dye and metal oxide nanoparticles for flexible optoelectronic devices

• Published in: Optical and quantum electronics 2024-08, Vol.56 (9), Article 1431
• Main Authors: Hassanien, A. M., Alanazi, Hamdah T. A., Almutairi, Fahad N., Alotaibi, Afraa, AlZaidy, Ghadah Abdulrahman, Kamal, A. M., Altalhi, Tariq A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Banded structure; Boron; Cerium; Characterization and Evaluation of Materials; Chlorides; Computer Communication Networks; Dyes; Electrical Engineering; Emission; Energy gap; Fourier transforms; Infrared analysis; Infrared spectra; Infrared spectroscopy; Inorganic materials; Lasers; Mechanical properties; Metal oxides; Metal sheets; Molecular chains; Molecular structure; Optical Devices; Optical properties; Optics; Optoelectronic devices; Photonics; Physics; Physics and Astronomy; Polymers; Polymethyl methacrylate; Refractivity; Spectrum analysis; Substrates; X-ray diffraction; Zirconium; Zirconium dioxide
• ISSN: 1572-817X; 0306-8919; 1572-817X
• DOI: 10.1007/s11082-024-07311-9

Polymeric sheets of poly(methyl methacrylate) loaded with organic dye with various amounts of metal oxide nanopowder are promising alternatives to traditional inorganic materials, as they have similar mechanical properties to flexible substrates with relatively high refractive index that can be used in flexible optical/optoelectronic devices. Polymeric sheets of poly(methyl methacrylate) loaded with boron subphthalocyanine chloride with various amounts of cerium(IV)-zirconium(IV) oxide nanopowder were fabricated. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction techniques were used to examine and analyse the structure of the fabricated polymer sheets. Introducing organic dye and nanofiller in the polymer molecular chains matrix does not change the infrared characteristic transmission peaks. The X-ray diffraction spectra of the polymeric sheets have an amorphous nature. Characterized by spectroscopic measurements (fluorescence, transmittance, and reflectance), the optical properties such as the optical energy gap, emission bands, and refractive index of the fabricated polymer sheets were explored. By controlling the concentration of boron subphthalocyanine chloride and cerium(IV)-zirconium(IV) oxide nanopowder, energy gaps and the refractive indexes of the fabricated polymer sheets can be controlled. The poly(methyl methacrylate) loaded with boron subphthalocyanine chloride with 20 mg cerium(IV)-zirconium(IV) oxide nanopowder showed optical energy gap transitions at 4.79, 2.66 eV, and 2.08 eV, it has the highest PL intensity with a strong emission band at 413 nm, and also it has the highest refractive index. Finally, the obtained experimental results showed that the prepared polymer systems can be considered promising flexible polymer sheets for optics, and photonics devices.