Micro-Structure, Ac Conductivity and Spectroscopic Studies of Cupric Sulphate Doped PVA/PVP Polymer Composites

A series of polyvinyl alcohol/polyvinyl pyrrolidone polymer composite films doped with different amount of cupric sulphate (CuSO4) were prepared by means of solution casting technique. These films were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), Ultraviolet-Visible absorbance spectroscopy (UV-Vis) and Ac conductivity measurement studies. XRD patterns of these films recorded at room temperature show the increase in amorphousity of the matrix with the increase in the concentration of CuSO4 in polymer composites. Microstructural parameters were computed using an in-house program employing XRD data. Recorded FT-IR spectra give information about the stretching and bending of the characteristic absorption bands in these films. The variation in the transmittance has been studied with the help of recorded UV-Vis spectra and hence the optical band gap present in the samples is also calculated. The measured Ac conductivity shows how the conductivity varies in these films with the presence of different amount of CuSO4 in these films.