Enhancing the microstructural, optical, and tensile properties of the PVC-PMMA blend film: The role of PbO nanoparticles incorporation

PVC-PMMA and PVC-PMMA-PbO PNC films were prepared. HR-TEM confirmed the nanoparticle structure of PbO, while XRD assured its purity, tetragonal structure, with crystallites measuring 35.71 nm. SEM showed the blend surface appeared smooth and homogenous with a fingerprint shape, and loading increased the surface roughness. PbO was reported to be evenly distributed across the blend surface. FTIR confirmed that all blend functional groups are present and the formation of hydrogen bonds between PVC and PMMA, besides the strong interactions between PbO and blend chains. Different optical constants were investigated using UV-vis-IR spectroscopy. The transmittance of the blend was 81.99% and decreased to 48.14% after loading 4 wt.% PbO (at ?= $$ 500 nm). Loading causes an increase in absorption. The extinction coefficient shows low extinction coefficients (k < 10(-6)). Loading PbO narrowed the blend band gaps and increased the refractive index n. The carrier's concentration to the electron effective mass was reported. Optical conductivity, energy loss functions, and nonlinear optical parameters were also studied. Tensile properties revealed that loading increased Young's modulus, tensile strength, and elongation at break. The enhancements in optical and mechanical characteristics of PNC films illustrate the possibility of extending their applications to include the semiconductor, electronics, and optics industries.