TY - JOUR

T1 - Engineered Polystyrene-Zirconium Dioxide Nanocomposite With Enhanced Optical Properties

AU - James, Jemy

AU - Thomas, Martin George

AU - Joseph, Tomy Muringayil

AU - Maria, Hanna J.

AU - Vignaud, Guillaume

AU - Grohens, Yves

AU - Penkova, Anastasia

AU - Rouxel, Didier

AU - Kalarikkal, Nandakumar

AU - Thomas, Sabu

N1 - Export Date: 19 February 2026; Cited By: 0; Correspondence Address: S. Thomas; School of Chemical Sciences, Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam, Kerala, India; email: sabuthomas@mgu.ac.in

PY - 2025

Y1 - 2025

N2 - The demand for transparent polymers with high-refractive indices (RIs) is increasing due to their versatility; however, low RIs also hold significance. Engineering the RI of polymer nanocomposites is crucial which benefits industry and research. The study investigates the influence of ZrO2 nanoparticles on the optical and surface properties of the polystyrene matrix. UV–Vis spectroscopy confirms that transparency is maintained with a light transmittance of 90 even with a ZrO2 loading of 16 wt%, while ellipsometry shows a steady increase in the RI due to the incorporation of nanoparticles. The RI of composites exceeds that of pure polystyrene (RI: 1.3–1.7) and utilizes the RI of ZrO2 (> 2.00) without altering the sample thickness. The microscopic image shows uniform distribution of particles up to 8 wt%, with slight agglomeration at higher contents. Scanning electron microscopy examination shows that the ZrO2 nanoparticles (20–150 nm) form loose agglomerated structures, while atomic force microscopy examination shows aggregate formation at 16 wt%. The addition of ZrO2 increases the surface roughness and water contact angle up to 4 wt%, which is related to the concentration of the nanofiller and the minimal interaction between ZrO2 and water. The results demonstrate the potential of ZrO2-loaded nanocomposites for applications requiring high RIs and optical transparency. © 2024 Wiley Periodicals LLC.

AB - The demand for transparent polymers with high-refractive indices (RIs) is increasing due to their versatility; however, low RIs also hold significance. Engineering the RI of polymer nanocomposites is crucial which benefits industry and research. The study investigates the influence of ZrO2 nanoparticles on the optical and surface properties of the polystyrene matrix. UV–Vis spectroscopy confirms that transparency is maintained with a light transmittance of 90 even with a ZrO2 loading of 16 wt%, while ellipsometry shows a steady increase in the RI due to the incorporation of nanoparticles. The RI of composites exceeds that of pure polystyrene (RI: 1.3–1.7) and utilizes the RI of ZrO2 (> 2.00) without altering the sample thickness. The microscopic image shows uniform distribution of particles up to 8 wt%, with slight agglomeration at higher contents. Scanning electron microscopy examination shows that the ZrO2 nanoparticles (20–150 nm) form loose agglomerated structures, while atomic force microscopy examination shows aggregate formation at 16 wt%. The addition of ZrO2 increases the surface roughness and water contact angle up to 4 wt%, which is related to the concentration of the nanofiller and the minimal interaction between ZrO2 and water. The results demonstrate the potential of ZrO2-loaded nanocomposites for applications requiring high RIs and optical transparency. © 2024 Wiley Periodicals LLC.

KW - ellipsometery

KW - photonics

KW - polymer nanocomposites

KW - refractive index

KW - thin films

KW - Nanoparticles

KW - Photonics

KW - Refractive index

KW - Transparency

KW - Ellipsometery

KW - High refractive

KW - Optical-

KW - Polymer nanocomposite

KW - Polymer-nanocomposite

KW - Property

KW - Thin-films

KW - Transparent polymer

KW - Zirconium dioxide

KW - ZrO 2

KW - Nanocomposite thin films

U2 - 10.1002/pol.20240765

DO - 10.1002/pol.20240765

M3 - статья

VL - 63

SP - 5426

EP - 5436

JO - Journal of Polymer Science

JF - Journal of Polymer Science

SN - 2642-4150

IS - 24

ER -