In the last years ferroelectric polymers as PVDF has attracted the interest in the photonics area because of the possibility to be used as hosts for lanthanides photonics ions. However, few works can be found in the literature about the study of the optical properties of PVDF. In this work, PVDF samples were doped with a complex of 3,4-methylenedioxy cinnamic and neodymium (Nd-MCA) to verify the improvement in the optical fluorescence of the polymeric matrix. The measurements of FT-IR confirmed the incorporation of dopant in the polymeric host. From the optical measurements in PVDF/Nd-MCA it was observed a broadening in absorption as well as the fluorescence spectra with the increase of the Nd-MCA content. In summary, the experimental results revealed that the PVDF/Nd-MCA is a potential candidate for optical and photonic applications.
We are grateful to the Brazilian Agencies, CAPES, CNPq (process 483683/2010-8 and 208232/2014-1), for the financial support of this work. E. A. Falcão also acknowledges UTSA and MeMDRL for hosting him under the NSF/INAMM and NSF ECCS 1002380 programs.