Abstract
In our present work, PVA-Y
2
O
3
nanocomposite films were prepared based on solution casting technique. The structures of the nanocomposite films were examined by XRD and FTIR spectroscopy. From the XRD analysis, it is found that the films are semi-crystalline and Y
2
O
3
nanoparticles have cubic crystal structure. The average crystal size estimated via Scherer formula was 25 nm while W–H plot method gives 28 nm. FTIR spectra of all nanocomposite films exhibited good interaction between nano-Y
2
O
3
and the PVA network. The morphological images obtained from SEM microscopy indicated good distribution of nano-Y
2
O
3
. Optical absorption spectra of the films enhanced with the incorporation of Y
2
O
3
. As the percentage of Y
2
O
3
added increased, the direct optical energy gap, decreased from 5.42 to 5.31 eV. While the static refractive index, dispersion energy, third order optical susceptibility, nonlinear refractive index and optical conductivity increased.