Production and characterization of flexible semiconducting polymer-nanoparticle composites for x-ray sensors

Abstract Fabrication and characterization of flexible semiconducting polymer-nanoparticles composite membranes for x-ray sensor device applications are presented in this work. Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) polymer was initially doped with glycerol ionic liquid (IL) that permitted the control of its electrical resistivity. Metal-oxide Bi 2 O 3 nanoparticles were prepared by a modified sol-gel method. The average nanoparticle size was found to be 39 ± 10 nm. Thin films of flexible polymer membranes with different nanoparticle concentrations were prepared using a solution casting method. Compositional characterizations revealed the formation of homogeneous polymer-nanoparticle membranes. Electrical impedance measurements of the membranes were performed for the membranes in a form of capacitor structure as a function of temperature and nanoparticle concentration. The measurements demonstrated that the membranes could be modeled with a pair of parallel resistor and capacitor that were assigned to the contributions of grain boundaries as well as the region of electron depletion in the membrane. As nanoparticle concentration increases, the resistivity and activation energy decrease. Current-voltage measurements demonstrated that the produced membranes function as x-ray sensors, and their response increases as a function of nanoparticle concentration. The produced membranes exhibit semiconducting properties that qualify them as potential candidates for device applications in the field of x-ray dosimeter.