Thermal and optical properties of PMMA films reinforced with Nb₂O₅ nanoparticles

The article presents the thermal and physical properties of PMMA composite films with the addition of Nb₂O₅ nanoparticles. The addition of nanoparticles to PMMA mainly influenced the optical transmission and glass transition temperature of composite films compared to pure PMMA. It is clearly visible in the results of the conducted ellipsometric and differential scanning calorimetry tests. X-ray studies showed that the heat treatment of the samples resulted in the ordering of the polymer structure (flattening of the polymer chains). Examining the surface of the samples with scanning electron microscopy, it can be seen that Nb₂O₅ nanoparticles formed unusual, branched formations resembling "snowflakes".