Synthesis and optical properties of titania-PVA nanocomposites

Titania TiO₂-poly vinyl alcohol (PVA) nanocomposites have been synthesised from hydrothermal synthesised TiO₂ and PVA using a solution - blend film casting method. The produced composites were characterised using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), UV-visible-near IR spectrophotometer and photoluminescence (PL). The results revealed that anatase TiO₂ nanoparticles was formed from precursors precipitated at pH 7 hydrothermally treated at 100°C for 24 h and then annealed at temperature 300°C for 2 h. The crystalline size of the produced anatase powders was 15 nm. The produced titania was dispersed in the different molar ratios of the PVA polymer to form the composites. The microstructure of the produced powders appeared as uniform spherical like structure. The UV-visible and PL absorbance spectrums showed the sharp absorption bands were formed at 300 and 360 nm respectively.