Investigation of structural and optical features of polyvinyl alcohol films doped with Nd₂O₃ nanoparticles for UV shielding

In the present work, the polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) matrix was reinforced with various contents of Nd₂O₃ nanoparticles (from 1 to 3.8 wt%) to form PVA-Nd₂O₃ nanocomposite films via the casting technique. The PVA-Nd₂O₃ films were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), scanning electron microscope (SEM), and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) techniques. The XRD analysis revealed the presence of Nd₂O₃ in the nanoscale and the presence of Nd(OH)₃ due to the adsorption of water vapor from the air. The Nd₂O₃ additive to the PVA matrix causes an alternation in the PVA structure, which appears in the change in the PVA characteristic peak. Raman analysis of the PVA-Nd₂O₃ films showed the presence of A_g and E_1g modes and bands at 470 and 750 cm^− 1 produced by the Nd-O-H deformation brought on by OH-rotation. The PVA film showed a decrease in film transparency and an increase in absorbance with the addition of Nd₂O₃ nanoparticles to the matrix. Moreover, there was a decline in the PVA bandgap energy from 5.43 eV to 3.32 eV for the undoped PVA film and doped with 3.8 wt.%Nd₂O₃, respectively. The addition of Nd₂O₃ to the PVA matrix improved other optical characteristics such as optical basicity, electronegativity, metallization criteria, and linear refractive index. The obtained PVA-Nd₂O₃ films are candidate options for electronic and photonic applications.