Controllable wavelength-selective optical composite based on nano-polymeric films with doped dyes

Abstract The novel color optical composites with controllable light absorption from the solar energy based on polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) as matrix materials were investigated. The nanoparticles with molecular level dye-doped were prepared by microemulsion polymerization. The structure and morphology of the nanoparticles and the color nano-films were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectrum (FT-IR), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) analysis. Three nanoparticles with dye-doped are all homogeneous nanospheres with regular shape and size of 50–70 nm. Three PVA color films containing nanoparticles possess different absorption bands in the visible light region. A controlled sunlight absorption film filter using dye-doped nanoparticles can be arbitrarily designed and assembled by adjusting the recipe to selectively transmit specific wavelengths from sunlight. Because the dye molecules are stabilized in the nanoparticles, the absorption band of the membranes can be precisely controlled. It can be conveniently assembled or deposited on other substrates to form nano-membranes. The composite containing color nanoparticles is simple, flexible, and cost-effective. They have potential applications in many fields, such as energy, agriculture, environment and biotechnology.