Effect of zinc oxide nanoparticles on physical properties of carboxymethyl cellulose/ poly (ethylene oxide) matrix

Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) with sizes 20–80 nm were successfully prepared using the Sol-Gel technique. They were loaded with different weight ratios (wt.%) ∼ 0, 0.3, 0.8, 2, 4, and 6 wt% on a polymer blend of carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC)/polyethylene oxide (PEO) (70:30) utilizing the solution casting route. The formed ZnO NPs loaded with CMC/PEO blend demonstrate a notable decrement in the bandgap from 4.51 to 3.34 eV. A significant increase in the refractive index from 1.79 to 1.97 was observed with increasing ZnO NPs content from 0 to 6 wt %. AC conductivity (σac) measurements at 298 K revealed a measurable enhancement in conductivity and dielectric parameters with the increase of ZnO NPs contents reaching their optimum values at 2 wt%. Furthermore, the temperature dependence of the σac and dielectric parameters was investigated for the optimum concentration, highlighting its unique characteristics for solid-state supercapacitors. •The zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) were prepared by Sol Gel method.•PEO/CMC-ZnO solid films were achieved using a scalable room-temperature stirring method to form solid polymer electrolytes.•PEO/CMC-ZnO films showed significant improvement in the structural, optical, electrical and dielectric properties.•PEO/CMC-ZnO films with 2% of ZnO NPs showed the highest improvement in electrical and dielectric properties.