1. Preparation of Polycarbonate-ZnO Nanocomposite Films: Surface Investigation after UV Irradiation.
- Author
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Jaleh, Babak, Hamzehi, Sara, Sepahvand, Reza, Azizian, Saeid, Eslamipanah, Mahtab, Golbedaghi, Reza, Meidanchi, Alireza, and Fausto, Rui
- Subjects
POLYCARBONATES ,ZINC oxide films ,X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy ,ATOMIC force microscopy ,NANOCOMPOSITE materials ,IRRADIATION ,ULTRAVIOLET radiation - Abstract
Polycarbonate (PC)-ZnO films with different percentages of ZnO were prepared by a solution stirring technique and subjected to ultraviolet (UV; λ = 254 nm) irradiation. Structural parameters of the samples and the effects of UV irradiation on the surface properties of the PC and PC-ZnO nanocomposites were evaluated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), atomic force microscopy (AFM), water contact angle (WCA) measurements, and a Vickers microhardness (H
V ) tester. The XRD patterns of the nanocomposite films were found to show an increase in crystallinity with the increasing ZnO nanoparticles percentage. The WCA was found to be reduced from 90° to 17° after 15 h of UV irradiation, which could be ascribed to the oxidation of the surface of the samples during the irradiation and exposure of the ZnO nanoparticles, a result that is also supported by the obtained XPS data. The microhardness value of the PC-ZnO films including 30 wt.% ZnO enhanced considerably after UV radiation, which can also be attributed to the exposition of the ZnO nanoparticles after photodegradation of the PC superficial layer of the nanocomposite films. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]- Published
- 2022
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