Impact of natural melanin doping on the structural, optical and dielectric characteristics of the PVP/CMC blend

Undoped and doped polyvinyl pyrrolidone/ carboxymethyl cellulose (PVP/CMC: 50/50%) blended polymers with melanin were formed. X-ray diffraction analysis confirmed the amorphous nature of all blends. Scanning electron microscopy results confirmed the smooth and homogeneous surface of the undoped and doped PVP/CMC blend with melanin. The optical parameters and fluorescence spectra of the PVP/CMC blend were investigated as functions of melanin content. The direct optical band gap (E-g ) for the used melanin is 2.86 eV. The direct and indirect E-g values for the PVP/CMC blend are 5.1 and (4.9, 3.2) eV, respectively. The direct and indirect E-g values were reduced to (4.5, 3.23) and (2.2, 1.33) eV as the amount of melanin became 3 wt % in the doped blend. The effect of melanin doping on the dielectric constant, dielectric loss, AC conductivity, complex impedance, Nyquist plot of the complex impedance, and electric modulus of the PVP/CMC blend was also studied.