Structural, Optical and Acoustical Characterization of Polyvinyl Alcohol Dispersed Cadmium Selenide Nanocomposites

Nanosized semiconducting cadmium selenide particles were successfully distributed within the polymer matrix of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) utilizing the method of heat induced chemical synthesis. The structural characterization of the prepared nanocomposite was conducted using X-ray diffraction for the phase analysis of the nanocrystallites, Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was used for size and shape determination of the nanoparticles and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy for identification of the various chemical functional groups possessed by the PVA/CdSe nanocomposites. Various properties of hybrid nanocomposites have been widely scrutinized by researchers during the past few decades because of their unique properties and versatility. The present study involved the behavioral analysis of various optical properties, such as optical absorbance (A), transmittance (T), optical band gap (E-g), refractive index (n), extinction coefficient (k), real and imaginary dielectric constants (epsilon(1) and epsilon(2)) and optical conductivity (sigma(opt)), of nanocomposite thin films produced by solution casting at temperatures ranging from 303 K to 343 K. The present study also deals with the evaluation of various ultrasonic acoustical properties, like adiabatic compressibility (beta(ad)), acoustic impedance (Z), intermolecular free length (L-f), relaxation time (tau) and attenuation coefficient, alpha, as a function of the square of the frequency (f(1)), i.e., (alpha/f(1)), to permit detailed understanding of behavioral changes in particle-fluid interactions with variation in the solution temperature of the nanocomposite.