Impact of coumarin on optical, structural and thermal properties of TiO2@ZnO core-shell filled PMMA matrix

The polymer composites of coumarin doped TiO2@ZnO/PMMA were prepared and their structural, morphological, optical and thermal properties have been examined by Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) Spectroscopy, Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), UV-Visible absorption (UV-Vis) and Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC). The interaction between poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and coumarin is confirmed by FTIR results. The surface morphology of prepared composites is analyzed using AFM. The UV-Visible spectra show two peaks at 230 nm and 261 nm attributed to n-π* transition that arises due to existence of carbonyl groups (-C=O- or –C=C-) in PMMA and another peak is observed at 312 nm after doping of coumarin, which is attributed to π-π* transition. DSC thermograms have shown almost constant degradation temperature at 370°C for all samples. Hence, the prepared composites have shown good structural and optical properties, may be used in optoelectronic applications.