Flexible cerium-doped tungstate oxide/titanium dioxide nanocomposite for high-sensitivity energy conversion in optical applications

Abstract

High energy conversion sensors are a special kind of luminous material that plays an important role in fields including medical diagnostics, physics, and radiation detection. A growing trend in this field is the development of flexible, wearable sensors, fabricated on substrates like fabrics and polymers, which offer the flexibility needed to undergo mechanical deformation caused by the human body. In the current research, flexible Cerium doped Tungstate Oxide/Titanium Dioxide (WO₃/TiO₂: Ce) nanocomposite film was fabricated by a low-cost method based PVA matrix. Several techniques were used to characterize the produced nanopowders and study about their structural, morphological, and optical features. X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and Raman all showed characteristic peaks for components relating to WO₃ and TiO₂ in the nanocomposite. Results from XPS confirmed strong interactions between WO₃ and TiO₂, with distinct binding energies indicative of specific oxidation states, including Ti⁴⁺, W⁶⁺, Ce⁴⁺, and Ce³⁺. Nanoparticles, with an average particle size of 60–65 nm, were uniformly distributed in the matrix according to the FESEM and TEM images. The behavior of alpha particles from a ²⁴¹Am source was analyzed through nanopowders and PVA polymer using Monte Carlo simulation, with optimal thicknesses confirmed by FESEM analysis. The optical characteristics were investigated using photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL), and ion beam-induced luminescence (IBIL). The produced nanocomposites were evaluated for their responses to ionizing radiation under a ²⁴¹Am alpha source; Prepared WO₃/TiO₂: Ce flexible nanocomposite film showed high-sensitivity (89.47%) to alpha irradiation and strong green emission at room temperature compared with pure WO₃ and TiO₂ films. Our findings highlight WO₃/TiO₂: Ce nanocomposite's potential as a promising optical flexible sensor for high-energy conversion in radiation detection and optical applications.