Impact of gamma ray irradiation on the structural, linear and nonlinear optical properties of polycarbonate/polyethylene oxide/poly(methyl methacrylate)/chromium oxide nanocomposite membranes for their application in optoelectronics

Tunable optoelectronic matter is required to generate next-generation devices that involve adjustable light and electricity exchanges. By altering material's properties, such as absorption, researchers can attain more effective materials that can be suitable candidate for optoelectronic applications. Polycarbonate (PC), polyethylene oxide (PEO), poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and Chromium oxide (Cr 2 O 3 ) nanoparticles (NP) were utilized to fabricate PC/PEO/PMMA/Cr 2 O 3 nanocomposite (NC). The Cr 2 O 3 NPs were synthesized via the sol gel method; the average particle size is19.73 ± 0.49 nm, as indicated from the profex refinement of the XRD scans. Samples from the synthesized NC membranes were exposed to γ ray doses from 20 to 120 kGy. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and UV–vis spectroscopies were carried out to realize the outcomes of the impact of γ radiation on the structural and optical properties of the NC membranes. The influence of the γ radiation on the light absorbance, refractive index, extinction coefficient, optical conductivity, Urbach energy and optical bandgaps of the PC/PEO/PMMA/Cr 2 O 3 NC membranes was studied. The absorbance of the NC membranes increased as they were exposed to γ doses up to 120 kGy. The improvement in absorbance was associated with a reduction in both direct and indirect bandgaps. A decrease from 4.48 to 4.28 eV for direct, and from 2.72 to 2.20 for indirect transitions has been observed. At the same time, an increase of Urbach energy from 0.16 to 0.51 eV was observed. Also, the optical dielectric loss ( ε ”) was utilized for the identification of the type of microelectronic transitions for the PC/PEO/PMMA/Cr 2 O 3 NC membranes, which was recognized to be a direct allowed transition. Additionally, both the refractive index and optical conductivity increased with increasing dose up to 120 kGy. Moreover, the color intensity (ΔE) which is the color differences between the irradiated and non-irradiated samples were calculated using the International Commission on Illumination (CIE) color differences technique. The results indicated significant color difference as ΔE reached 37 (>5). The perceived modifications in optical properties of the PC/PEO/PMMA/Cr 2 O 3 NC highlight the possibility of utilizing it in optoelectronic applications.