Facile synthetic route for the preparation of PVC/α-MnO2-PVA nanocomposites: morphology, thermal, mechanical and Cd(II) adsorption properties

Abstract

This study deals with the effect of α-MnO2-PVA as filler for improving the optical, mechanical, thermal, adsorption capacity and self-extinguishing properties of poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) matrix. Therefore, α-MnO2 nanorods were obtained successfully by a hydrothermal method and were modified with poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) to increase compatibility of α-MnO2 with the organic PVC matrix and reduce the accumulation. Accordingly, PVC/α-MnO2-PVA nanocomposites (NCs) were fabricated with different amounts of modified nanorods (1, 3 and 5 wt%) by ultrasonic irradiation technique. Samples were characterized by instrumental analyses such as FT-IR, XRD, FE-SEM and TEM. Properties of NC films and neat PVC were evaluated with different techniques. Also, the PVC/α-MnO2-PVA NC was used as an efficient adsorbent for the removal of cadmium. It was found that PVC/α-MnO2-PVA NCs have better thermal, optical, tensile and self-extinguishing properties relative to pure PVC. The results from adsorption experiment showed that prepared NC is an effective adsorbent for the removal of Cd ions from aqueous solutions.