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Fabrication and absorption intensity analyses of Er 2 O 3 nanoparticles suspended in polymethyl methacrylate
Author(s) -
Chandra Sreerenjini,
Gruber John B.,
Burdick Gary W.,
Sardar Dhiraj K.
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
journal of applied polymer science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.575
H-Index - 166
eISSN - 1097-4628
pISSN - 0021-8995
DOI - 10.1002/app.34058
Subject(s) - materials science , nanocrystalline material , polymethyl methacrylate , polymer , nanoparticle , absorption (acoustics) , absorption spectroscopy , erbium , wavelength , methyl methacrylate , chemical engineering , composite material , optoelectronics , nanotechnology , optics , physics , monomer , doping , engineering
Nanoparticles suspended in polymeric host materials are found to have tremendous potential for various photonic and biological applications due to their unique material properties. Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) is known to be one of the best vinyl polymers owing to its excellent dimensional quality, weather resistance, easiness of synthesis, resistance to laser damage, and high mechanical strength. In this article, we describe a methodology to fabricate thin discs of nanocrystalline erbium oxide (Er 2 O 3 ) suspended in PMMA (Er 2 O 3 /PMMA). The optical transparency of PMMA was confirmed in the ultraviolet, visible, and the near‐infrared regions of the electromagnetic spectrum, making it possible to observe only the Er 2 O 3 spectra over the wavelength investigated. The room‐temperature absorption spectrum of Er 2 O 3 /PMMA has been taken in the 400 to 820 nm wavelength region. Analysis of the spectrum reveals a consistent agreement between our experimental data and those reported earlier for Er 3+ in nanocrystalline Er 3+ : Y 2 O 3 . A solid solution exists between Er 2 O 3 and Er 3+ : Y 2 O 3 in terms of their physical properties. Therefore, our experimental results conclude that the presence of PMMA does not significantly alter the crystal symmetry as well as the co‐ordination environment of the Er 3+ ions in Er 2 O 3 . Our results also emphasize that the Er 2 O 3 /PMMA may have future possibilities for numerous technological applications. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011