Highly stable Ga-doped ZnO/polystyrene nanocomposite film with narrow-band cyan emission

Abstract In the present study, a simple method for the preparation of a luminescent flexible gallium doped zinc oxide (GZO)/polystyrene nanocomposite film was developed. The prepared GZO powder was characterized through different optical and structural techniques. The XRD study revealed the existence of a wurtzite structure with no extra oxide peaks. Elemental-mapping, EDX, FTIR and XPS analyses were used to confirm the presence of elements and the several groups present in the structure. Under excitations of UV, the prepared hybrid nanocomposite showed a strong cyan emission with narrow full width at half the maximum value (20 nm) that has not been reported before. X-ray and laser-induced luminescence results of the hybrid film revealed novel blue-green emission at room temperature. The prepared composite film showed a strong scintillation response to ionizing radiation. The strong emissions, very weak deep-level emissions, and low FWHM of composite indicate the desirable optical properties with low-density structural defects in the GZO composite structure. Therefore, the prepared hybrid film can be considered to be a suitable candidate for the fabrication of optoelectronic devices.