Structural, morphological and optical properties of silver doped polyvinylpyrrolidone composites

Abstract

Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) doped with different silver concentration (Ag: PVP) composites were prepared by simple solution casting technique using PVP and silver nitrate. The structural, morphological and optical properties of these as grown composites were characterized by powdered X-ray diffraction, SEM, FTIR and UV-VIS techniques. XRD patterns confirm the incorporation of Ag particles in PVP matrix and indicate the improvement in polycrystalline behaviour by the appearance of more diffraction peaks with increased intensity on increasing AgNO₃ concentration in the composites. SEM images reveal the uniform dispersion and increased densification of Ag particles in PVP matrix. Infrared transmission spectra recorded in 4000-400 cm^-1 region show the characteristic peaks of PVP bonding groups with the minor shift in their position due to Ag doping. UV-VIS spectroscopy results reflected that absorption increases in asymmetric manner and the absorption peak showed red shift with increasing dopant concentration. These results showed that the simple synthesis process can be used for the preparation of such composites suitable for various practical applications.