Dopamine functionalization of BaTiO3: an effective strategy for the enhancement of electrical, magnetoelectric and thermal properties of BaTiO3-PVDF-TrFE nanocomposites.

Electro-active polymer-ceramic composite systems are emerging materials in the fields of nanoelectronic, microelectromechanical and macroelectronic device applications. Still more precise and concise research studies have yet to come in the areas of energy storage, harvesting, energy conversion, etc. In line with this, we have synthesized and analyzed PVDF-TrFE based nanocomposites of both functionalized and non-functionalized BaTiO3 (BTO). All the samples were prepared as free standing films by employing a solvent cast method. A systematic study of structural, morphological, thermal, dielectric, ferroelectric, piezoelectric and magnetoelectric (ME) properties has been carried out. It has been reported that the addition of BTO nanoparticles (with and without functionalization) into a polymer matrix substantially improved the properties of the nanocomposite. By performing the above mentioned characterization, it could be proved that dopamine functionalized BTO (DBTO) samples are better choices for the above mentioned applications including magnetoelectric applications, than the non-functionalized ones.

Bulk growth of ninhydrin single crystals by solvent evaporation method and its characterization for SHG and THG applications.

Ninhydrin is a well-known compound generally used in amino acid synthesis and also for detecting the latent fingerprints on porous surfaces. Single crystals can be grown by dissolving the compound in double distilled water at ambient temperature, and can be used as a potential material for second and third harmonic generation applications. The grown specimen was subjected to different characterization techniques in order to find out its suitability for device fabrication. Its lattice dimensions have been confirmed by X-ray powder diffraction and its crystalline quality has been assessed by high resolution X-ray diffraction and X-ray topography methods. The presence of functional groups was identified from HETCOR analysis and confirmed the absence of impurities during crystallization. Its optical properties have been examined by photoluminescence and birefringence analyses. Its thermal parameters such as thermal diffusivity, thermal conductivity and specific capacity have been carried out by following photopyroelectric method. Third order nonlinear optical measurements have been carried out using Z-scan technique and its nonlinear optical absorption coefficient has been determined.