LAUSR

Films of cadmium chloride (CdCl2) doped polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)–polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) blend were irradiated with ultraviolet (UV) light, of wavelength 254 nm. Modification in band structure of the doped polymeric blend films has been studied using optical (UV–Visible) and fluorescence (photo-luminescence) spectral analysis. On exposure to UV radiation, the PVA–PVP samples doped with CdCl2 from 5.4 up to 12.1 wt% (doping level) get blackened, possibly due to carbonization. Microstructural modifications in these films caused by UV irradiation have been studied with the help of scanning electron microscope (SEM) images. The molecular chemical changes caused by UV irradiation on CdCl2 doped PVA–PVP blend has been studied using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and FT-Raman spectra of these films, after UV exposure for 30 and 180 min. The results are compared with those of un-doped PVA–PVP blend films, which have been exposed to UV irradiation for the same time interval.