Preparation of Polycarbonate-ZnO Nanocomposite Films: Surface Investigation after UV Irradiation.

Polycarbonate (PC)-ZnO films with different percentages of ZnO were prepared by a solution stirring technique and subjected to ultraviolet (UV; = 254 nm) irradiation. Structural parameters of the samples and the effects of UV irradiation on the surface properties of the PC and PC-ZnO nanocomposites were evaluated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), atomic force microscopy (AFM), water contact angle (WCA) measurements, and a Vickers microhardness (H) tester. The XRD patterns of the nanocomposite films were found to show an increase in crystallinity with the increasing ZnO nanoparticles percentage.