Optical and UV Shielding Properties of Inorganic Nanoparticles Embedded in Polymethyl Methacrylate Nanocomposite Freestanding Films.

Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) is an interesting polymer employed in various applications due to its outstanding properties. However, its electrical and mechanical properties can be further improved by incorporating nanoparticles, and in particular, PMMA nanocomposite with nanoparticles provides various multifunctional properties. This work reports PMMA nanocomposite preparation and structural and optical characterizations incorporating carbon nanotubes (CNTs), TiO2 nanoparticles, and carbon quantum dots (CQDs). CNT/PMMA, TiO2/PMMA, and CQD/PMMA nanocomposite freestanding films were prepared using a simple solution method. Various properties of the prepared composite films were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, photoluminescence, Fourier transform infrared, and UV-Vis and Raman spectroscopy. Optical parameters and photocatalytic dye degradation for the films are reported, focusing on the properties of the materials. The CNT/PMMA, TiO2/PMMA, and CQD/PMMA films achieved, respectively, good electrical conductivity, photodegradation, and fluorescence compared with other composite films.

Characteristics of the Colorless Polyimide-Based Flexible X-ray Detector with Non-Fullerene Acceptor Polymer.

In this paper, we investigate the characteristics of the colorless polyimide (CPI) film-based flexible organic X-ray detector. The CPI film can be applied to various applications, because it shows excellent visible light transmittance by removing the yellow color of polyimide (PI) film, which has the advantage of physical and chemical stability. In addition, the deformation curvature of the CPI substrate according to temperature showed similar characteristics to that of the glass substrate. For the organic active layer of the proposed detector, PBDB-T was fixed as a donor, and PC71BM and ITIC were used as acceptors. To evaluate the mechanical stability of the flexible detector, the degradation sensitivity was measured as bending curvature and bending cycle. The sensitivity of the detector with ITIC acceptor showed a 46.82% higher result than PC71BM acceptor on bending curvature (R = 10); and at the same curvature, when the bending cycle was 500 times, a 135.85% higher result than PC71BM acceptor.

Synthesis of cuprous oxide nanocomposite electrodes by room-temperature chemical partial reduction.

We demonstrate a template-free synthetic approach for the preparation of a highly conductive Cu/Cu(2)O nanocomposite electrode by a chemical reduction process. Cu(2)O octahedra were prepared through chemical dehydrogenation of as-synthesized Cu(OH)(2) nanowire precursors. To provide a sufficiently electron-conducting network, the Cu(2)O particles were transformed into Cu/Cu(2)O nanocomposites by an intentional reduction process. The Cu/Cu(2)O nanocomposite electrodes showed enhanced cycling performance compared to Cu(2)O particles. Furthermore, their rate capabilities were superior to those of their mechanically mixed Cu/Cu(2)O counterparts. This enhanced electrochemical performance of the hybrid Cu/Cu(2)O nanocomposites was ascribed to the formation of homogeneous nanostructures, offering an efficient electron-transport path provided by the presence of highly dispersed Cu nanoparticles.