Abstract
Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) nanocomposites containing three different nanofillers are prepared and compared in terms of their thermal properties, morphologies, and oxygen permeabilities. Specifically, pristine saponite (SPT) clay, hydrophilic organically modified bentonite (OMB), and hexadecylamine-functionalized graphene sheets (HDA-GSs) are utilized as nanofillers to fabricate PVA nanocomposite films. The hybrid films are fabricated from blended solutions of PVA and the three different nanofillers. The content of each filler with respect to PVA is varied from 0 to 10 wt%, and the changes in the properties of the PVA matrices as a function of the filler content are discussed. With respect to the hybrid containing 5 wt% of SPT, OMB, and HDA-GS, each layer in the polymer matrix consists of well-dispersed individual nanofiller layers. However, the fillers are mainly aggregated in the polymer matrix in a manner similar to the case for the hybrid material containing 10 wt% of fillers. In the thermal properties, SPT and OMB are most effective when the filler corresponds to 5 wt% and 7 wt% for HDA-GS, respectively, and the gas barrier is most effective with respect to 5 wt% content in all fillers. Among the three types of nanofillers that are investigated, OMB exhibits optimal results in terms of thermal stability and the gas barrier effect.
Highlights
Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) is a water-soluble synthetic polymer with high hydrophilicity, biocompatibility, and non-toxicity [1,2]
We investigated the dispersibilities of three nanofillers including pristine clay SPT, hydrophilic organoclay organically modified bentonite (OMB), and functionalized graphene sheets HDA-treated graphene oxide (GO) sheets (HDA-GSs), in PVA to improve the properties of the PVA hybrid films
PVA hybrid films with varying filler contents ranging from 0 to 10 wt% were synthesized via the solution intercalation method
Summary
Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) is a water-soluble synthetic polymer with high hydrophilicity, biocompatibility, and non-toxicity [1,2]. The improvements in material performance are achieved as a result of the inherent properties of the nanofillers and by optimizing the dispersion, interface chemistry, and nanoscale morphology This is completed to utilize the advantages of the tremendous surface area per unit volume exhibited by nano-fillers (the theoretical limits correspond to 760 m2/g for clay [28] and 2,630 m2/g for graphene [29]). We examine and compare the thermal properties, morphologies, and oxygen permeation capabilities of PVA nanocomposites containing three different nanofillers, such as pristine clay SPT, hydrophilic organoclay OMB, and hexadecylamine-functionalized GSs (HDA-GSs). The thermal and oxygen barrier properties of the hybrids are examined as a function of the nanofiller type and content in the PVA polymer matrix. We investigate the effects of filler loadings on the morphologies of the PVA hybrid films
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