Structural, Optical, Electrical, and Magnetic Properties of PVA:Gd3+ and PVA:Ho3+ Polymer Films

Polymer films of PVA:Gd3+ and PVA:Ho3+ have been synthesized by a solution casting method in order to study their structural, optical, electrical, and magnetic properties. The semicrystalline nature of the polymer films has been confirmed from XRD analysis. The FTIR analysis confirms the complex formation of the polymer with the metal ions. Dielectric studies of these films have also been carried out at various set temperatures in the frequency from 100 Hz to 1 MHz for carrying out impedance spectroscopy analysis to evaluate the electrical conductivity which arises due to a single conduction mechanism and thus to have a single semicircle pattern from these polymer films. The DC electrical conductivity increases with an increase in the temperature and it could be due to high mobility of free charges (polarons and free ions) at higher temperatures. The conductivity trend follows the Arrhenius equation for PVA:Gd3+ and for PVA:Ho3+ polymer films. PVA:Gd3+ polymer films show ferromagnetic nature, and PVA:Ho3+ polymer films have revealed paramagnetic nature based on the trends noticed in the magnetic characteristic profiles.