Preparation, characterization, and structural studies of methylcellulose/CuO hybrid materials

Flexible hybrid materials composites of methylcellulose (MC) and CuO are fabricated successfully with solution-casting preparation method as confirmed by the energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), transmission electron microscope (TEM), and Fourier transform infrared methods. The EDX of MC/CuO recorded the peaks of C, O, and Cu with percentage ratios of 49.61%, 47.35%, and 3.04%, which verify the appropriate formation of the MC/CuO. The TEM image shows that the size of CuO is from 11 to 51 nm. The images from the SEM also show that the CuO nanoparticles are evenly distributed throughout the MC/CuO composite. The impact of CuO on MC transparency is also investigated via UV/vis spectroscopy. The optical parameters of the polymer and composites films were recorded. The bandgap energy of MC is reduced from 4.83 to 4.69, 4.33, and 4.2 eV when mixed with 1.5%, 3%, and 4.5% CuO, respectively, while the band tail is increased from 1.6 to 2.93, 3.66, and 4.15 eV. Carbon cluster numbers also rise from 50 for MC to 54, 63, and 67 for the addition of CuO concentrations of 1.5%, 3%, and 4.5%, respectively. The purpose of this work is fabrication of new nanocomposite materials with innovative flexible properties that may find application in high-performance optoelectronics.