Effect of nitrogen ions on the structural, optical, and thermal properties of polyvinyl alcohol/starch blend

This work examines the properties of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)/starch film containing glycerol as a plasticizer under exposure to different nitrogen ion fluence. The prepared PVA/starch blend was irradiated with ion fluence from 3 × 1017 to 12 × 1017 ions.cm−2. From FTIR, the ion beam irradiation attack and weakens the C–H bond in PVA/starch blend. From XRD findings, the crystallite size of the blend decreased at 3 × 1017 ions/cm2 while it increased at higher fluence up to 9 × 1017 ion/cm2. This indicates the degradation of the blend at low ion fluence compared to crosslinking at high ion fluence. Also, the optical bandgap of the blend was decreased with an increase in ion fluence. Furthermore, the effect of N+ ions on some optical dispersion parameters is studied. The thermal stability of the PVA/starch blend shows a decrease in thermal stability upon irradiation with 3 × 1017 ions/cm2 compared to higher thermal stability at higher doses up to 9 × 1017 ions/cm2.