Physicochemical evaluation of nanocomposite hydrogels with covalently incorporated poly(vinyl alcohol) functionalized graphene oxide

Abstract

ABSTRACTTo avoid the negative effect of graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets aggregation in aqueous solutions on physicochemical properties of GO incorporated nanocomposite hydrogels, poly(vinyl alcohol)‐functionalized GO (GO‐es‐PVA) are synthesized and are used for preparation of nanocomposite hydrogels. By graft copolymerization of GO‐es‐PVA with poly(AA‐co‐AAm) chains, the nanocomposite hydrogel samples with covalently incorporated GO‐es‐PVA are achieved. FTIR spectroscopy, XRD analysis, and SEM and EDAX techniques confirm successful synthesis process. It is clear that GO‐es‐PVA content has significant effect on physicochemical properties of nanocomposite hydrogels, such as improvement of the water uptake properties, porosity, and gel strength. The hydrogel sample with 1:80 mass ratio of GO‐es‐PVA/AAm has the best physicochemical properties due to the optimum amount of GO‐es‐PVA, which gives the hydrogel proper viscoelasticity as well as fine porosity and water uptake rate. Interpenetration of PVA chains into the polymeric networks makes the movement of the polymer chains easier, which leads to softer polymeric networks. This phenomenon is called plasticizing effect. The plasticizing nature of PVA and its high hydrophilicity are the main reasons for the fine physicochemical properties. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2019, 136, 48025.