Elucidation of modification in structural and thermal properties of polystyrene nanocomposite films

Organic–inorganic nanocomposites have endured our interest in research, as they possess unique physical and chemical properties in various fields of application. In the present investigation, ZnO nanoparticles and polystyrene/zinc oxide nanocomposite films were successfully synthesized by sol–gel and solution-mixing techniques, respectively. These thin films were prepared with varying concentrations of ZnO, i.e., from 0 to 20 wt%. The thickness of these synthesized films was measured experimentally. These films were characterized to investigate the structural, morphological and thermal properties using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) techniques. The roughness of film surfaces has been calculated from Nanoscope analysis software and correlated to the SEM images. The glass transition temperature of pristine and nanocomposite films is observed from the analysis of DSC data.