Influence of ZnO nanoadditives on the structural characteristics and dielectric properties of PVA

In this study, different percentages of semiconducting zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnONPs) are mixed with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) to create flexible ZnO/PVA polymer nanocomposite films. The characteristics of the prepared films are investigated using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques. The XRD pattern shows that the ZnO/PVA composite films were successfully synthesized; while the SEM images show that the ZnONPs are homogeneously dispersed in the PVA polymer chain. Moreover, the DSC indicates an improvement in the thermal stability behavior with increased of ZnONPs concentration. The electrical conductivity, dielectric properties, electric modulus behavior, and the energy density efficiency of the pristine PVA and ZnO/PVA composite films are determined using an LCR meter in the frequency range 10²–10⁶ Hz. The dielectric constant of the composite film increased from 0.185 for pristine PVA to 1.389 for 9%ZnO/PVA, and the conductivity is improved from 1.93 × 10−5 S/cm to 7.98 × 10−5 S/cm. This work would open the road for utilizing ZnO/PVA flexible nanocomposite films for wide range of applications such as batteries, super-capacitor and energy storage devices.