Metamaterials Based on Polyvinyl Alcohol with Metal or Metal Oxide Particles: Synthesis and Study by Nondestructive Physical Methods

Methods for the synthesis of polymer hydrogel–metal metamaterials based on polyvinyl alcohol and reduced Cu, Ag, Co, and Fe (or magnetite Fe3O4) particles, including the stage of chemical or thermal reduction or chemical precipitation were proposed. The effect of the synthesis conditions on the size of metal or oxide particles and the regularity of particle distribution in the polymer was studied. The samples of composite materials synthesized under different conditions were characterized by nondestructive X-ray fluorescence and X-ray diffraction methods. An XRD study revealed that after the thermal reduction of Cu, Co, and Fe, the composite contained a significant amount of metal oxides. The optimum conditions for the synthesis of polyvinyl alcohol–magnetite metamaterials were found.