Environmentally friendly Zn0.75Cd0.25S/PVA heterosystem nanocomposite: UV-stimulated emission and absorption spectra

Zn0.75Cd0.25S nanoparticles prepared at different temperatures were composited with polyvinyl alcohol for functionalization it in wide spectrum of applications such as in photocatalysis. The nanostructure of the Zn0.75Cd0.25S mother phase is confirmed by X-ray diffraction in addition to absorption and fluorescence spectra. UV/VIS. measurements show that, the transmittance coefficient of Zn0.75Cd0.25S/PVA nanocomposite is lesser than that of pure PVA by 0.33% and varies upon increasing the preparation temperature; reaching a maximum value for the sample prepared at 300 °C. It was found that the optical band gap tunes with annealing temperature which, in turns, with particle size. The refractive index of the Zn0.75Cd0.25S/PVA nanocomposite films decrease with increasing wavelength and saturates at high wavelengths. The optical conductivity increases with increasing photon energy which may be due to the excitation of electrons by photon energy. The optical conductivity of Zn0.75Cd0.25S/PVA nanocomposite is lesser than that of pure PVA and it decreases as the preparation temperature of Zn0.75Cd0.25S nanoparticles in PVA matrix increases which could be related to the decrease in the extinction coefficient and the density of localized states in the gap. Abroad peak deconvoluted, by Gaussian fitting function, into two violet and blue colors was observed in the fluorescence spectra under UV light irradiation. The two emission bands are attributed to band edge emission and neutral oxygen vacancies respectively. Analysis of fluorescence (FL) spectra reveals quenching in FL intensity and a peak shifting towards the lower wavelength side with increasing the preparation temperature of the mother phase. The results suggest that the 200 °C Zn0.75Cd0.25S/PVA nanocomposites have been regarded as a promising candidate in many technical fields, such as photocatalytic hydrogen production and/or photocatalytic degradation of organic dyes under UV irradiation due to its high optical conductivity and high FL intensity.