LAUSR

Nanocomposite (NC) films of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)/calcium aluminum-doped zincate (CaAl 2 ZnO 5 ) have been fabricated with varying amounts, namely 2, 4, 6 and 8 wt% of CaAl 2 ZnO 5 nanoparticles (NPs) by solution casting technique. TEM data showed that an average particle size of CaAl 2 ZnO 5 NPs is ~ 25 nm. The effect of CaAl 2 ZnO 5 content on structural and morphological behaviors has been established by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy, respectively. The photo-response of NCs was derived by UV–visible spectroscopy where the band gap energy ( E g ) reduced from 5.25 eV for PVA to 2.82 eV for PVA/8 wt% CaAl 2 ZnO 5 NC film. The dielectric permittivity and current–voltage ( I – V ) characteristics were studied using LCR—meter in frequency range of 50 Hz–5000 kHz. The relative dielectric constant ( ε ′) was increased from 15 to 65 with increase in NPs content from 0 to 8 wt%. The PVA NC with 8 wt% CaAl 2 ZnO 5 NPs raises the ac conductivity to 3.35 × 10 −5  S cm −1 at room temperature. The cyclic voltammetry (CV) tests have been performed to calculate the specific capacitance of the NCs as a positive electrode against Ag/AgCl as reference electrode. The specific capacitance increases from 1. Fg −1 for PVA to 3.69 Fg −1 for PVA/8 wt% CaAl 2 ZnO 5 NC. These behaviors will support the possible applications in optical display devices and micro-electrical and electronic applications.