Preparation and Characterization of ZnSe/EVA Nanocomposites for Photovoltaic Modules

Jose Sebastian¹, Eby Thomas Thachil¹, Jobin Job Mathen², Augustine J. Edakkara³, Nelson Kuriakose³, Ginson P. Joseph^3*, Joby Sebastian⁴

¹Department of Polymer Science & Rubber Technology, Cochin University of Science and Technology, Kerala, India.
²Department of Physics, Loyola College, Chennai, Tamilnadu, India.
³Department of Physics, St. Thomas College, Pala, Kerala, India.
⁴Department of Physics, St. Thomas College, Thrissur, Kerala, India.

DOI: 10.4236/jmmce.2015.34024                

Abstract

ZnSe Nanoparticles were synthesized by solvothermal method and the particle was characterized by Transmission Electron Microscopy. The polymer nanocomposite of 2% and 4% ZnSe/EVA was fabricated by direct sonicator method. The nanocomposites were characterized by UV-Vis-NIR and FT-IR spectroscopy. The thermal behaviour of the samples was also investigated and we found that the thermal stability of the composites increased with increasing the filler concentrations. The mechanical properties such as tensile strength, peel strength and refractive index of the samples were also studied and reported for the first.

Keywords

EVA, ZnSe, TG-DTA, Refractive Index, Peel Strength, Tensile Strength

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

References

[1]	Zhu, J.H., Chen, M.J., Qu, H.L., Zhang, X., Wei, H.G., Luo, Z.P., Colorado, H.A., Wei, S.Y. and Guo, Z.H. (2012) Interfacial Polymerized Polyaniline/Graphite Oxide Nanocomposites toward Electrochemical Energy Storage. Polymer, 53, 5953-5964. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.polymer.2012.10.002
[2]	Thurn Albrecht, T., Schotter, J., Kastle, G.A., Emley, N., Shibauchi, T., Krusin Elbaum, L., Guarini, K., Black, C.T., Tuominen, M.T. and Russell, T.P. (2000) Ultrahigh-Density Nanowire Arrays Grown in Self-Assembled Diblock Copolymer Templates. Science, 290, 2126-2129.
[3]	Pyun, J. and Matyjaszewski, K. (2001) Review Previous Article Next Article Table of Contents Synthesis of Nanocomposite Organic/Inorganic Hybrid Materials Using Controlled/“Living” Radical Polymerization. Chemistry of Materials, 13, 3436-3448. http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/cm011065j
[4]	Brabee, C.J., Sariciftci, N.S. and Hummelen, J.C. (2001) Plastic Solar Cells. Advanced Functional Materials, 11, 15-26. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/1616-3028(200102)11:1<15::AID-ADFM15>3.0.CO;2-A
[5]	Blom, P.W.M., Schoo, H.F.M. and Matters, M. (1998) Electrical Characterization of Electroluminescent Polymer/ Nanoparticle Composite Devices. Applied Physics Letters, 73, 3914. http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.122934
[6]	Kiesow, A., Morris, J.E., Radehaus, C. and Heilmann, A. (2003) Switching Behavior of Plasma Polymer Films Containing Silver Nanoparticles. Journal of Applied Physics, 94, 6988. http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.1622990
[7]	Subbaiah, Y.P.V., Prathap, P., Devika, M. and Reddy, K.T.R. (2005) Close-Spaced Evaporated ZnSe Films: Preparation and Characterization. Physica B: Condensed Matter, 365, 240-246. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.physb.2005.05.020
[8]	He, T., Wang, C., Pan, X. and Wang, Y. (2009) Nonlinear Optical Response of Au and Ag Nanoparticles Doped Polyvinylpyrrolidone Thin Films. Physics Letters A, 373, 592-595. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.physleta.2008.12.002
[9]	Ma, G., He, J. and Tang, S. (2003) Femtosecond Nonlinear Birefringence and Nonlinear Dichroism in Au:TiO2 Composite Films. Physics Letters A, 306, 348-352. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0375-9601(02)01626-2
[10]	Gonzalex-Benito, J., Castillo, E. and Caldito, J.F. (2013) Coefficient of Thermal Expansion of TiO2 Filled EVA Based Nanocomposites. A New Insight about the Influence of Filler Particle Size in Composites. European Polymer Journal, 49, 1747-1752. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.eurpolymj.2013.04.023
[11]	Kasap, S. and Capper, P. (2007) Springer Handbook of Electronic and Photonic Materials. Springer, Berlin. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-29185-7
[12]	Rhee, S.H. and Choi, J.Y. (2002) Preparation of a Bioactive Poly(methyl methacrylate)/Silica Nanocomposite. Journal of the American Ceramic Society, 85, 1318-1320. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1151-2916.2002.tb00269.x
[13]	Camargo, P.H.C., Satyanarayana, K.G. and Wypych, F. (2009) Nanocomposites: Synthesis, Structure, Properties and New Application Opportunities. Materials Research, 12, 1-39. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S1516-14392009000100002
[14]	Homann, T., Hotje, U., Binnewies, M., Borger, A., Becker, K.D. and Bredow, T. (2006) Composition-Dependent Band Gap in ZnSxSe1-x: A Combined Experimental and Theoretical Study. Solid State Sciences, 8, 44-49. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.solidstatesciences.2005.08.015
[15]	Hodes, G. (2004) Chemical Solution Deposition of Semiconductor Films. Taylor and Francis, New York, 362.
[16]	Ashcroft, N.W. and Mermin, N.D. (2011) Solid State Physics. 11th Indian Reprint, Brooks/Cole, Pacific Grove.
[17]	http://large.stanford.edu/courses/2007/ap272/brockman1
[18]	Tauc, J. (1974) Amorphous and Liquid Semiconductor. Plenium Press, New York. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-8705-7
[19]	Kumar, S. and Chandra, R. (2005) Temperature Dependent Studies of CdS Nanoparticles in Viscous Matrix. Optical Materials, 27, 1346-1349. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.optmat.2004.09.015
[20]	Hasegawa, N., Okamoto, H., Kawasumi, M. and Usuki, A. (1999) Preparation and Mechanical Properties of Polystyrene-Clay Hybrids. Journal of Applied Polymer Science, 74, 3359-3364. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1097-4628(19991227)74:14<3359::AID-APP9>3.0.CO;2-2