White light emission and excellent UV shielding observed in free-standing and flexible films of poly(vinylidene fluoride)/zinc oxide nanocomposite

• Published in: Materials letters Vol. 200; pp. 125 - 127
• Main Authors: Sabira, K., Saheeda, P., Jayalekshmi, S.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier B.V 01.08.2017; Elsevier BV
• Subjects: Casting; Free-standing film; Light emission; Materials science; Nanocomposite; Nanocomposites; Photoluminescence; Polymer films; Polyvinylidene fluorides; Shielding; Solid state; Solution casting; Spectral emissivity; Thermal stability; Ultraviolet radiation; UV shielding; Vinylidene fluoride; White light; White light emission; Zinc oxide; Zinc oxides; Solution casting; Free-standing film; White light emission; Nanocomposite; UV shielding
• ISSN: 0167-577X; 1873-4979
• DOI: 10.1016/j.matlet.2017.04.119

•The PVDF/ZnO nanocomposite films were obtained by simple processing techniques.•These films are free-standing, flexible and bio-compatible.•These films offer ample scope for excellent UV shielding applications.•White luminescence from these films is an added novelty of the present work. In the present work, we report the excellent UV shielding properties and white light emission observed in free-standing and flexible films of poly(vinylidene fluoride)/zinc oxide (PVDF/ZnO) nanocomposite, obtained by simple solution casting method. These thermally stable nanocomposite films offer ample scope for excellent UV shielding applications. The photoluminescence spectra of these films show white light emission and can be of profound applications in solid state lighting. Simultaneous observation of UV shielding effects and white light emission in free-standing films of polymer nanocomposites has not been reported.