Analyzing the synthesis of various inorganic nanoparticles and their role in UV-shielding Harsh K. Singh a , Shiv Kumar a , Jyoti Bamne b , Kajol Taiwade a , Nitu Singh a , Vivek Chandel a , Fozia Z. Haque a,⇑ a Optical Nanomaterials Laboratory, Department of Physics, Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India b Department of Physics, Barkatullah University, Bhopa, Madhya Pradesh, India article info Article history: Received 2 September 2020 Received in revised form 14 September 2020 Accepted 22 September 2020 Available online xxxx Keywords: Oxide nanoparticles Graphene oxide Cellulose acetate naphthoate Optical properties UV-shielding studies abstract In recent days we have been using many devices equipped with LED in one or other way, as display or light sources. These sources have large contribution of UV emission in their total emission of light. This adds the amount of UV radiations and its effect which we have already faced during the exposure of sun. To protect not only the human body, skin and eyesight, but also some essential surfaces of exte- riors, plastic roof, we need some protecting film/materials that can absorb UV part from light radiation. Already aware of the harm that UV-A and UV-B rays from sun cause to the biotic components of the ecosystem, researchers and scientists have started seriously working in developing some films using polymer nanocomposites or nanomaterials which have improved tranceparancy, flexibility, durability features. Mainly concentrating on UV shielding applications, the article talks about various nanoparticles prominently used in the said purpose, namely CeO2, TiO2, ZnO, MnO2 and graphene oxide. Along with their respective synthesis methods, particle size, band gap, other experimental results have been high- lighted. Green synthesis of ZnO nanoparticles with the assistance of fungus and bacteria also finds men- tion which is significant in reducing our dependence on chemicals. Hexagon shaped pristine and Al doped ZnO nanodisks (NDs) with exposed ± [0001] polar facets successfully synthesized with absolute ethanol: water system as dual solvent mixture show exceptionally good absorbance of 99% in UV range upto 390 nm. It also emphasizes upon the importance of the synergistic effect of the incorporated nanoparti- cles & the matrix material used and the conversion of cellulose acetate matrix into cellulose acetate naph- thoate in order to enhance its service life in the commercial anti-UV applications. Ó 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of the International Confer- ence on Innovations in Clean Energy Technologies. 1. Introduction The primary source of the ultraviolet rays on the Earth is the ultraviolet spectrum of the radiations emitted by the Sun. Approx- imately 5% of the solar terrestrial radiation is UV radiation [1]. The ultraviolet spectrum wavelength extends approximately from 10 nm to 400 nm. It has wavelength greater than X-rays and smal- ler than the visible part of the electromagnetic spectrum (Fig. 1). The ultraviolet spectrum emitted by the Sun and entering the earth’s atmosphere can be broadly divided into three parts: UVA  320 to 400 nm, UVB – 280 to 320 nm and UVC – 100 to 280 nm. Let us know more about them.  Extreme Ultraviolet (or Vacuum UV): The UV upto 100 nm is called extreme UV. Extreme UV can travel only through vacuum and is completely absorbed within the upper atmosphere. These radiations ionize the upper atmosphere and create ionosphere. Since they do not reach the Earth’s surface, living beings are not affected.  UV-C: UVC extends from 100 nm to 280 nm. It is potentially the most damaging portion of the UV radiation. Fortunately, it is completely filtered out in the atmosphere and doesn’t reach the Earth’s surface. When produced from artificial sources, It https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2020.09.499 2214-7853/Ó 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of the International Conference on Innovations in Clean Energy Technologies. ⇑ Corresponding author. E-mail address: foziazia@rediffmail.com (F.Z. Haque). Materials Today: Proceedings xxx (xxxx) xxx Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Materials Today: Proceedings journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/matpr Please cite this article as: H.K. Singh, S. Kumar, J. Bamne et al., Analyzing the synthesis of various inorganic nanoparticles and their role in UV-shielding, Materials Today: Proceedings, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2020.09.499