A study on optical absorption and constants of doped poly(ethylene oxide)

Thin films of polymer electrolyte based on poly(ethylene oxide) doped with sodium iodide (NaI) were prepared using the solution cast method. The films obtained have average thickness of 70 μm and different NaI concentrations. Absorption and reflectance spectra of UV-radiation were studied in the wavelength range 300–800 nm. The optical results were analyzed in terms of absorption formula for non-crystalline materials.The optical energy gap and the basic optical constants, refractive index, and dielectric constants of the prepared films have been investigated and showed a clear dependence on the NaI concentration. The interpreted absorption mechanism is a direct electron transition.The observed optical energy gap for neat poly(ethylene oxide) is about 2.6 eV, and decreases to a value 2.36 eV for the film of 15 wt% NaI content. It was found that the calculated refractive index and the dielectric constants of the polymer electrolyte thin films increase with NaI content. Models were used to describe the dependences of the dielectric constant on the NaI concentration, and the refractive index on the incident photon energy.