Investigations on optical and dielectric properties of PVDF/PMMA blend doped with mixed samarium and nickel chlorides

Samarium and nickel ions, singly and in combination, were doped into poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF)/poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) blend. Films were prepared by casting technique. The microstructure of the prepared films were studied using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Infrared (FT-IR) and Fluorescence spectroscopy. The complex formation between Sm³⁺ and/or Ni²⁺ ions with the polymeric chain was confirmed by XRD and FT-IR. XRD analysis revealed that the crystallinity of blend improved by doping. The presence of the dopants led to some changes in the vibrational spectrum of the blend. The effect of doping levels on the optical and dielectric properties of PVDF/PMMA blend was investigated. It was observed that the optical band gap E_g, dielectric constant ε`, AC conductivity σ_Ac and loss tangent tanδ increase significantly with increasing Sm³⁺ content. The correlation between optical and dielectric properties and the microstructure of polymeric systems was studied.