Synthesis of thin films based on hydroxypropyl cellulose doped with zinc oxide by solvent casting method

Abstract

The aim of this thesis is to study thin films based on hydroxypropyl cellulose HPC doped with nanoparticles of zinc oxide ZnO by the solvent casting method. In our study, we want to investigate the influence of ZnO on HPC film performance, an attempt to improve its properties even at extremely low ZnO loadings. This thesis focused on three major parts, the first part is devoted to the study of nanocomposites based on HPC (matrix) and ZnO (reinforcement agent), the second part is addressed to show the importance of state dispersion/distribution of ZnO in the matrix due to the agglomeration of ZnO NPs, this will prevent their good dispersion within the polymer matrix, the third part is aimed to show the effect of CTAB on the performance of the film. The study will be completed by the following analyzes: IR spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis, and UV-vis spectroscopy. The results showed that our HPC film is rich with ZnO NPs with the size of a micrometer, the formation of Zn(OH) 2 and that the surfactant CTAB plays a very important role in directing the morphology of NPs. Key words: Thin films, HPC, ZnO, nanocomposites, dispersion/distribution, agglomerate, CTAB, IR, XRD, UV-vis; SEM analysis, morphology.