Effect of the different concentrations of ZnO:Mn incorporation on the microstructure and dielectric properties of epoxy nanocomposites

The Mn:ZnO/epoxy nanocomposites (MZO–EP-NCs) resin samples are prepared using the ultrasonication method. This work deals with the systematic investigation of microstructural, optical and electrical properties of MZO fillers incorporating to the epoxy resin. These samples are characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction and UV–Vis spectroscopy. SEM micrographs revealed that the as-prepared MZO nanocrystals are presented in the spherical clusters. X-ray diffraction indicates that the MZO–EP-NCs samples exhibit the presence of MZO nanocrystals peaks. Optical analyses showed a decrease in the band gap energy with increasing the MZO concentrations and a high UV-absorption of MZO–EP-NCs due to the light scattering due to the incorporating MZO particles in the epoxy. Such changes can be described by the shift of HOMO and LUMO band’s transition in the studied samples. Our results support the correlation between structure and optical properties of the mentioned nanocomposites. At high electromagnetic waves, the dielectric permittivities are decreased linearly with the addition of MZO clusters compared to neat epoxy. The obtained optical parameters supporting the improvement of the UV shielding properties of MZO–EP-NCs samples.