Fabrication of PMMA/PEG/SnO₂/SiC quaternary multifunctional nanostructures and exploring the microstructure and optical features for radiation attenuation and flexible photonics applications

The current study aims to synthesize of poly-methyl methacrylate (PMMA)-polyethylene glycol (PEG) doped with tin oxide (SnO₂) and silicon carbide (SiC) nanostructures for gamma ray attenuation and photonics applications. The microstructure and optical characteristics of PMMA-PEG-SnO₂-SiC nanostructures were studied. The obtained results indicated that the PMMA-PEG absorbance increased of 69.6% and the transmittance decreased of 46% when the SnO₂/SiC NPs ratio rise to 4.8 wt%. The PMMA-PEG’s energy gap (E_g) decreased to 3.95 eV when the SnO₂/SiC NPs ratio reached of 4.8 wt%. The optical constants (coefficient of absorption (α), index of refractive (n), coefficient of extinction (k), real (ε₁) and imaginary (ε₂) parts of dielectric constants, and conductivity of optical (σ_op) were increased of 69.6%, 22.1%, 69.6%, 39.4%, 76.3, and 76.3%, respectively, when SnO₂/SiC NPs reached of 4.8 wt% at wavelength (λ = 540 nm). These results make the PMMA-PEG-SnO₂-SiC nanostructures are appropriate for optical and electronic applications. Finally, the gamma radiation attenuation coefficients were increased with rising nanoparticles concentrations. The (PMMA-PEG-SnO₂-SiC) nanostructures have highest attenuation coefficients for gamma radiation.