Optical properties of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) coated In2O3 nanoparticles

An experimental study of the optical properties of PVA coated In2O3 nanoparticles was performed with characterization methods including photoluminescence, absorption and point source, photogenerated current–voltage measurements. The photoluminescence results show that PVA can suppress the parasitic green emission by modifying defect energy states introduced by oxygen vacancies. Thin films fabricated from PVA coated In2O3 nanoparticles show higher photocurrent and suppressed dark current, which may be promising for UV photodetector applications.

► Enhanced UV–blue emission and suppressed parasitic green emission has been observed in PVA coated In2O3 nanoparticles.
► PVA can modify surface defect states of In2O3 nanoparticles.
► Mechanisms of suppressed parasitic green emission for PVA coated In2O3 nanoparticles are modeled.