Synthesis of carbon quantum dots to fabricate ultraviolet‐shielding poly(vinylidene fluoride) films

Abstract

ABSTRACT The paper presents a simple and effective approach to fabricating a poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) film with excellent ultraviolet (UV) shielding performance. Carbon quantum dots (CQDs) with a highly UV absorbing property were made via a hydrothermal reaction and were then added to a poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) solution. The PVDF membrane pretreated with an alkaline solution was immersed in the prepared CQD/PVA solution to coat a UV‐shielding layer on the film surface. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X‐ray photoelectron spectrometry, X‐ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and UV–visible spectrophotometry were applied to study the structure, morphology, and optical performance of the CQD particles. The stability and UV‐shielding performance of the obtained PVDF‐OH@CQDs/PVA composite film were further investigated. The results showed that the CQD particles with diameter of 18 nm could be well dispersed in solution. Additionally, the CQDs had fairly high UV absorbance, and the PVDF‐OH@CQDs/PVA composite film could shield the UV light completely. The method described in this paper is a promising one for fabricating UV‐shielding composite films. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2019 , 136 , 47555.