Abstract
The optical and thermal properties of prepared poly(ethylene oxide)/MnCl
2 films were studied as a function of MnCl
2 concentration at room temperature. The observed optical energy gap (
E
opt) and energy gap tail (Δ
E) were determined from the measured absorption spectra. It was found that the optical energy gap decreases with MnCl
2 concentration, and the absorption coefficient reduces sharply at concentration of 5 wt% MnCl
2 compared with the neat PEO. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) measurement shows that the heat of fusion increases with the MnCl
2 concentration, while the melting point decreases. Correlation between the observed optical energy gap and heat of fusion is presented.