Preparation and characterization of bismuth germanium oxide (BGO) polymer composites

Abstract

Bismuth germanium oxide Bi12GeO20 (BGO) has very interesting electrical, optical and magnetic properties. In order to make devices based on this material more flexible, its powder was used for preparing polymer composites. This study reports investigation of the effects of using different solvents and polymers in preparation of BGO composite on the microstructural and optical behaviour of the resulting material. Preparation of such composites by a solution casting method is described. Poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and polystyrene (PS)) were used as matrix materials and acetone and chloroform as solvents. Their microstructure and the quality of BGO dispersion and deaggregation in polymer matrix were analyzed by SEM, Raman, XRD and optical spectroscopy. The influence of particle size distribution, their shapes, and concentration on the optical transmission is calculated based on Mie scattering theory and discussed, too. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.