Luminescence enhancement of ZnO-poly(methylmethacrylate) nanocomposite films by incorporation of crystalline BaTiO3 nanoparticles

[Display omitted] •Dielectric barium titanate (BT) nanoparticles incorporated into luminescence films.•Luminescence intensities increased by the BT nanoparticle incorporation.•Incorporation of highly dielectric nanoparticles effective for luminescence enhancement. Incorporation of highly dielectric nanoparticles into luminescent ZnO-polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) nanocomposite films was undertaken to examine the effect of nanoparticle incorporation on luminescence intensity of the nanocomposite films. ZnO nanoparticles were prepared as inorganic phosphors by a precipitation method. The ZnO nanoparticles were then surface-modified with 3-methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane (MPTMS) to be used for fabrication of the ZnO-PMMA nanocomposite film. Barium titanate (BT) nanoparticles were synthesized with a sol-gel method as the highly dielectric nanoparticles, which were also surface-modified with the MPTMS for the incorporation into the nanocomposite films. Luminescence intensity of the nanocomposite films was successfully increased by the nanoparticle incorporation up to a BT content around 15vol%. The luminescence intensity higher than that measured for the nanocomposite films incorporating SiO2 nanoparticles indicated that the incorporation of highly dielectric nanoparticles was an effective approach to enhance the luminescence of ZnO nanoparticles in the polymer thin films.