In this method, separation and purification of ZnO QDs is not required. The optical properties of the
ZnO QDs and PVA/ZnO QDs nanocomposites were characterized by UV–vis spectrophotometry and photoluminescence
(PL). X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and FT-IR spectrophotometry
were used to characterize the morphology and structure of the nanocomposites. TEM
imaging confirmed that QDs of around 4 nm diameter were uniformly dispersed in the PVA matrix.
The PL spectra of the PVA/ZnO QDs nanocomposites showed a blue shift as compared with the ZnO
QDs solution, while the thermal stability of the PVA was sharply enhanced after the addition of the
ZnO QDs. The results confirmed that PVA/ZnO QDs nanocomposites with strong fluorescence emission
can be easily prepared by the one-pot method, with good potential for applications in the fields of photoelectricity
and display.